Soldiers Assault: Starting from the 7th Steel Company

Chapter 194 The soldiers of the Old Seventh Company are top-notch wherever they go!
He Chenguang and the other two heard Chen Jiang call them, and immediately got up from their seats and walked quickly to him.

Because of their outstanding performance in the exercise, the three were appointed as acting squad leaders. This can be considered a major reform by Chen Jiang, who did not look at seniority or rank, but only at ability.

Of course, the original squad leaders had all reached the point of retirement, so with his help, the handover between the old and new generations was completed.

Chen Jiang wanted to cultivate these three individuals as key talents, hoping they would be promoted to higher positions in the future.

"Greetings, Battalion Commander! Greetings, Political Instructor! Greetings, Company Commander!"

"Greetings, Battalion Commander! Greetings, Political Instructor! Greetings, Company Commander!"

"Greetings, Battalion Commander! Greetings, Political Instructor! Greetings, Company Commander!"

The three men walked over and saluted the three company and battalion-level officers. They didn't recognize Xu Sanduo, so they could only smile and nod, glancing at him as they saluted, and that was it.

"Let me introduce you, this is your platoon leader, Xu Sanduo!"

He Chenguang and the other two looked at the unassuming, short, and honest-looking lieutenant in front of them and couldn't connect him with their future superior, so they were all a little stunned.

Until Ma Xiaoshuai kicked each of them, saying, "What are you thinking about?"

Only then did he realize the truth of his dream.

"Good morning, Platoon Leader!"

"Good morning, Platoon Leader!"

"Good morning, Platoon Leader!"

"It's all good, it's all good," Xu Sanduo said. He hadn't fully transitioned from the role of a sergeant yet, so he was still a little unaccustomed to it.

Back in the Seventh Steel Company, he felt that being able to stay in the army as a first-term sergeant was already a distant dream. As for the second or third term, he didn't dare to hope for it at all. It wasn't until he was promoted to officer and embarked on the path of a professional soldier that he had a sense of enlightenment.

In particular, Yuan Lang had told him that his military career was still a long way off.

“Sanduo, this is Squad Leader He Chenguang. He excels in all subjects, especially shooting. He's already at about 70-80% of the battalion commander’s level,” Ma Xiaoshuai introduced to Xu Sanduo.

"No, no, I'm still far from the battalion commander's level, at most only ten percent of it." He Chenguang waved his hands repeatedly. He had made great progress thanks to Chen Jiang's hands-on guidance and demonstrations, but it was precisely because of this that he knew just how terrifying his "master's" level was, truly unfathomable.

"Alright, stop being modest. Don't be overly modest. Being overly modest is just arrogance!" Ma Xiaoshuai retorted without hesitation, then continued, "This is Wang Yanbing, the squad leader of the second squad. He has excellent grades in all subjects and is skilled in combat."

“This is Li Erniu, the squad leader of the third squad. He is also an excellent student in all subjects. Perseverance is his specialty,” he turned his head and asked, “Erniu, is that right?”

Li Erniu replied proudly, "I wouldn't dare call it a special skill, but I can say that I'm not afraid of hardship or death!"

"What a load of crap!" Ma Xiaoshuai laughed and cursed.

“From now on, they will be the backbone of your platoon. Your skills are more than enough to lead them. Our Seventh Company is the sharpest blade of the entire regiment, and the First Platoon is the blade of the Seventh Company,” Ma Xiaoshuai emphasized earnestly.

Everyone listened attentively to the lessons that followed. After class, Chen Jiang invited everyone to have a welcome dinner for Xu Sanduo.

To Xu Sanduo's surprise, Tang Xinyi also came and naturally sat down next to He Chenguang. The two were actually a couple.

During the meal, Xu Sanduo, being a newcomer, had to offer many toasts. His alcohol tolerance was originally quite average, but after spending a long time in the army, even someone who doesn't drink a drop can now drink a pound of liquor.

Fortunately, Chen Jiang stopped them in time, preventing Xu Sanduo from "live-streaming" the conversation. They had drunk enough, and all that was left was chatting and bragging.

Through their conversation, Xu Sanduo learned that Chen Jiang was already married, and his sister-in-law, Chu Ning, was a specialist doctor at the military hospital.

Gao Cheng is the deputy regimental commander. Unfortunately, he couldn't come today because of something, but he still made a phone call to say hello to Xu Sanduo.

He also asked about his other former comrades from the Seventh Steel Company, and found that they were all doing well, which warmed his heart. The army is like a big family; although personnel change, the camaraderie remains the same.

The training mission of the Seventh Company continued on the second day, but today the platoon leader officially met everyone.

Everyone was somewhat dismissive of Xu Sanduo's unremarkable appearance. In a platoon with many outstanding soldiers, he was truly an ordinary soldier. If he stood in the crowd, no one would give him a second glance.

How did someone like that get promoted and become a platoon leader?

In addition, Xu Sanduo was not good with words, and he was somewhat hesitant when shouting out the commands used by many platoon leaders, which made everyone think that he was a person with connections.

But true gold fears no fire.
Once on the training field, if some soldiers' movements were not up to standard, he would demonstrate them very seriously and teach them step by step. He would even personally demonstrate some events, such as the 400-meter obstacle course, showing them how to pass it efficiently while conserving energy. He would then demonstrate the techniques from the Old A team, and He Chenguang and the others would immediately understand that this veteran had real skills!

During the fight, Xu Sanduo held his own against Li Erniu and Wang Yanbing, who were attacking him from both sides. If he hadn't deliberately held back, the two might have been embarrassed in front of everyone. In the end, Xu Sanduo declared it a draw, which made Wang Yanbing and the others grateful.

When it came to shooting, Xu Sanduo's rapid-fire skills left He Chenguang speechless. It turned out that their platoon leader was so awesome.

After demonstrating his exceptional skills, Xu Sanduo finally established himself in the Seventh Company.

But at that moment, at the T Division headquarters, Liu Biwu and Wang Qingrui were having a heated argument.

The two had always gotten along well. Liu Biwu respected Wang Qingrui as a senior officer, and Wang Qingrui, who was about to be demobilized, was very cooperative with Liu Biwu, a middle-aged and young senior general.

But today they had a disagreement over something.

“Old Wang, don’t be so stubborn. This regulation is from the military, not something I, Liu Biwu, made. Chen Jiang is now Gao Cheng’s brother-in-law and a battalion commander under him, which violates the regulations. Either Chen Jiang is transferred, or Gao Cheng is reassigned.”

"Don't give me that crap. Rules are rules, but people are flexible. They're all from the same company. Even in ancient times, people didn't avoid recommending relatives for positions." Wang Qingrui wasn't buying it. He believed that at this point, it wouldn't be appropriate for either Chen Jiang or Gao Cheng to leave. Chen Jiang had just made a name for himself in the Third Battalion; if he were transferred to another battalion as commander, all his previous work would have to be started over. Moreover, changing battalion commanders was very difficult now; the worst that could happen was that he'd end up as a staff officer or something similar at the division level.

Most importantly, Chen Jiang is newly married. If he moves to a faraway place, won't he have to separate from Chu Ning? How will he face his old man after that?

If Gao Cheng were to be transferred, it would be even more absurd. Gao Cheng has a bright future ahead of him; being a deputy regimental commander is just a transitional role. As long as he stays in the 702nd Regiment for a while, promotion to full regimental commander is a natural progression. But if he were transferred now, he would face the predicament of starting all over again.

That is why Wang Qingrui firmly disagreed with transferring one of them, at least not now. He hoped to delay it for a while, until the conditions for Gao Cheng's promotion were met, at which point he could leave naturally.

But Liu Biwu didn't think so. Although he also valued Chen Jiang and Gao Cheng, discipline was iron and steel! There was no room for compromise.

Originally, after Chen Jiang and Chu Ning got married, the personnel adjustment work should have been put on the agenda immediately. However, he considered that Chen Jiang had just been promoted not long ago, and it would not be appropriate to adjust him directly. Moreover, there were no good positions available for Gao Cheng at the moment, so the matter was delayed for two or three months.

Now that a deputy section chief position has become available in the military region, which is at the deputy regimental level, Gao Cheng could be placed there. This is why he has started thinking about it again. However, as soon as he opened his mouth, Wang Qingrui objected without hesitation.

The reason given was that a deputy section chief's future prospects were far inferior to those of a deputy regimental commander. This infuriated Liu Biwu. Although he could directly convene a meeting to finalize his decision, doing so would completely ruin his relationship with Wang Qingrui, and he was unwilling to do so unless absolutely necessary.

“Old Wang, I also want to arrange a deputy regimental commander position or a position in the Youth League Committee for Gao Cheng, so that he can be promoted one level, but the key is that there is no such position right now.”

"I don't care, let's wait a bit longer. I heard that a member of the Party Committee of the 734th Regiment of the C Division is going to be demobilized. That'll be it."

Upon hearing this, Liu Biwu shook his head immediately. "No, no, I know this person. He still needs a year. If the higher-ups find out that we haven't solved this problem in so long, we'll be in deep trouble!"

Wang Qingrui was about to argue when the division clerk knocked on the door and came in.

"Commander, documents from District J."

"Oh, just throw it on the table." Liu Biwu didn't have time to look at this kind of thing right now.

"Commander, District J requires us to reply today."

Seeing the clerk's insistence, Liu Biwu became somewhat annoyed and was about to lose his temper when Wang Qingrui took over and waved for the clerk to go back first, saying, "I'll get the division commander's signature; you can go back now."

The clerk, as if granted a pardon, immediately closed the door and left.

“Commander, why are you doing this? He was just doing his duty.” Wang Qingrui smiled. He saw that the folder was blue, so he knew it was not classified. As the deputy division commander, he would probably be able to see it too. So he opened it and glanced at it.

He was immediately captivated by its contents after just one glance.

"Old Wang, what are you looking at so intently? Think about what I just told you. Since you can't bear to let Gao Cheng go, then transfer Chen Jiang. I'll let him come to the Division Administration Department as a deputy director. That won't be a bad deal for him, will it?"

Liu Biwu had no choice but to make concessions and show his utmost sincerity, because many battalion-level officers longed to come to the Political Department and stay by the side of the division leaders, as this would definitely give them a greater advantage in promotion.

So many people would kill for this position, so arranging it for Chen Jiang solves his career prospects and also takes care of his new marriage – that's a truly sincere gesture.

"Okay, I agree to Chen Jiang leaving, hahaha."

Seeing Wang Qingrui's attitude change 180 degrees, Liu Biwu was stunned. "Old Wang, how did you change so quickly? You really are a power-hungry person."

"Pah! Chen Jiang doesn't care about your so-called deputy director position. Look at this! I suggest he take this opportunity to go there!"

Wang Qingrui handed over the folder in his hand.

Liu Biwu took it with a puzzled look, opened it, and read...
Inside was a document issued by the highest military authority entitled "Notification on the Formation of a Peacekeeping Force to be Deployed to Africa".

The document contains the following content:

To form a peacekeeping force of approximately battalion size to be deployed to the Democratic Republic of Congo in Africa, the team will consist mainly of half an engineering battalion and a number of medics. Of course, to protect their safety, a company of army troops will be assigned to the force. The command will consist of a battalion commander, a political instructor, and a deputy battalion commander.

The engineer battalion is assigned by higher authorities, while the medical personnel and army companies are selected from military regions across the country. In order to showcase the image of a major power, the best of the best are selected.

The most difficult position is that of commander, who is selected from officers at the battalion level across the country. There are also certain restrictions on age, seniority, and other conditions. In particular, they must know English and be able to communicate fluently in spoken English.

This one criterion alone is enough to eliminate the vast majority of people.

During this period, it was already quite impressive for a major to be able to read English, let alone have fluent spoken English.
"You want Chen Jiang to compete for the commander of this peacekeeping force?" Liu Biwu had already seen through his old buddy's plan.

“Yes, looking at the requirements above, Chen Jiang is undoubtedly the most suitable. In our J district, is there anyone more suitable than him?” Wang Qingrui felt that Chen Jiang was determined to get the position because he learned from various briefings that peacekeeping force commanders are key personnel to be trained. After going out to train, they will definitely be given important responsibilities when they come back.

Another attractive feature is that this peacekeeping force can send medical personnel, so Chu Ning can go too. Isn't that a win-win situation?

As for the selection, both of them are outstanding individuals in the military, and he doesn't think they will be left out.

After listening to Wang Qingrui's analysis, Liu Biwu also felt that it was a win-win solution and nodded immediately. However, he hesitated for a moment, "Old Wang, even if you want Chen Jiang to go, he might not be willing. After all, this is a recommendation quota from the division, and we can't force him. Besides, they just got married and are newlyweds. Do you really want them to be separated in two countries? I really can't bring myself to say that."

“Oh, Commander, you need to broaden your perspective a bit more. Could you persuade his wife to go with him? You could treat it as a honeymoon abroad. Wouldn’t that be great?” Wang Qingrui said with a mocking expression.

Upon hearing this, Liu Biwu exclaimed, "Holy crap, this works too?"

Africa, that horrific place rife with war and disease, was described by Wang Qingrui as something akin to the Maldives.

"Then you'll have to persuade these two. If they're both willing, I'm willing to recommend them. As for whether it will work out, I don't know," Liu Biwu said helplessly.

(End of this chapter)