Soldiers Assault: Starting from the 7th Steel Company

Chapter 221 Strict control is correct, but deep affection is key.
"Thank you for your concern, sir." Chen Jiang nodded to Cheng Guoqiang.

He indicated that he knew this, and then he expressed his thoughts.

"Commanders, strict discipline in military affairs has always been a tradition and a glorious tradition of our army, but I believe that loving soldiers like our own children is also a principle we have always adhered to in leading troops. The lessons of this incident are profound, but it is fundamentally different from ordinary cases."

Everyone was taken aback. What did this mean?
Only Sun Tongfei seemed to have heard what he needed most, so he encouraged him, "Tell me in detail."

"Zhao Erxi caught that rabbit in the wild, which is a point we must pay attention to, and it is also the most crucial point in this case. Since it was in the wild, and the rabbit did not have a tag on it indicating whether it was domesticated or wild, how could Zhao Erxi, who only has a junior high school education, distinguish it clearly? I have seen his resume. There are no elders in his family who are hunters. His ancestors have been honest and simple farmers for generations."

"His motive for catching that rabbit is another crucial point we must pay attention to. He wasn't doing it for his own gluttony, but out of concern for his comrades. What's wrong with that? His motive is perfectly fine. If he's punished for it, then all soldiers who want to care for their comrades in the future will think twice."

Chen Jiang had experienced bizarre situations like "Why did you help if you didn't hit him?" in his previous life, so he was all too aware of the dangers of doing so.

"Moreover, because the compensation was paid, the villagers no longer pursued the matter, and the social impact was not significant. I know this squad leader, Chen Shun. He has been conscientious and hardworking since enlisting. For the honor of the collective and the future of his comrades, he has given up many opportunities. He is a very well-loved squad leader. I really don't want such a veteran to be forced to leave the military because of this. It would not only be a loss for his entire squad, but also a major loss for our glorious army."

Chen Jiang's words were reasonable and well-founded, completely overturning the previous thoughts of these military leaders. But upon closer examination, there seemed to be nothing wrong with them. Since they joined the army, they had all started as ordinary soldiers. Who among them didn't have a respected and beloved sergeant?

“Deputy Director Chen, what you said is indeed for the benefit of the officers and soldiers at the grassroots level, but from a holistic perspective, if this matter is handled too leniently, it could have a very bad negative example effect. In the future, similar incidents that infringe upon the interests of the masses will be found to have one 'reason' or another. If this continues, our discipline will lose its rigidity.” Yu Genshan was not targeting anyone, but he also had his own reasons for insisting on this.

The two men held completely opposite views, which made Sun Tongfei hesitant to draw any conclusions. After all, from Yu Genshan's perspective, dealing with people in this way seemed to make sense.

Chen Jiang seemed to ponder Yu Genshan's words for a moment, but quickly retorted, "I can understand Director Yu's thinking. To a certain extent, it does make a lot of sense. After all, discipline is iron and steel! But may I ask you this: what is the purpose of having discipline that is iron and steel?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Genshan naturally replied, "This is definitely to ensure the combat effectiveness of the troops."

"That's right. Discipline is indeed very effective in controlling the combat effectiveness of the troops. However, in the history of our army's growth and development, we have not only relied on discipline to govern the army. The most important thing is to 'seek truth from facts'!"

Chen Jiang pointed out incisively, "During the Land Revolution War, we emphasized seeking truth from facts, which led to the revolutionary policy of encircling the cities from the countryside; during the War of Resistance Against Japan, we emphasized seeking truth from facts, which led to the establishment of anti-Japanese base areas behind enemy lines, fighting small battles and gradually growing stronger; during the War of Liberation, we emphasized seeking truth from facts, which led to not being concerned with the gains or losses of a single place or city, but mainly eliminating the enemy's manpower, and ultimately achieving a great reversal and establishing the new China."

He added, "During the reform and opening-up period, we still emphasized seeking truth from facts, which is why we have the excellent economic and social development we have today. So why can't we be realistic in handling this matter? Why do we have to consider all sorts of unrelated impacts?"

"Strict discipline in military affairs is correct, but genuine care and love are key! Only such troops have cohesion and combat effectiveness!"

Chen Jiang's words were powerful and resounding, immediately drawing approval and applause from all the attendees.

Ultimately, the meeting concluded that the incident was mainly due to a misunderstanding. Zhao Erxi, the person involved, was given a reprimand and education. Chen Shun, the class monitor, was ordered to submit a written self-criticism. In addition, Zhao Dazhi, the head of the motor transport regiment, was also interviewed and asked to strengthen discipline education and learn from this incident.

The matter finally came to an end, and everyone in the motor transport regiment was extremely grateful to Chen Jiang. Chen Shun and Zhao Erxi, in particular, came to the military headquarters to express their gratitude. However, Chen Jiang did not accept the gifts they brought, and simply replied that he hoped Chen Shun and Zhao Erxi could stay in the army and make greater contributions.

Zhao Dazhi was completely convinced of Chen Jiang's abilities and invited him to drink many times, but Chen Jiang declined each time. His reason was simple: he couldn't be too high-profile, otherwise Yu Genshan would probably have a lot of opinions about it.

Indeed, the outcome of this investigation was somewhat embarrassing for Yu Genshan. As the head of an investigation team with the rank of colonel, his conclusions were overturned by Chen Jiang.

Who could bear to see this?

He was also very annoyed, wondering if he had ever mistreated Chen Jiang, but...
Chen Jiang also sensed this, so he brought good wine to Yu Genshan's door to apologize, but Yu Genshan refused to see him.

It wasn't until Sun Tongfei invited him out for drinks that he discovered Chen Jiang was also at the table.

Sun Tongfei was actually very grateful to Chen Jiang because his righteous words had turned a dead end into a positive outcome. In addition, he was aware of Chen Jiang's relationship with his superiors, so it was necessary to invite him out for a meal to improve their relationship.

But when he heard about Yu Genshan's situation, he immediately decided to do Chen Jiang a favor and invited Yu Genshan out through his invitation.

"Come, come, Genshan, sit next to me!" Sun Tongfei was a superior, with a higher rank than Yu Genshan, so Yu Genshan had no reason to refuse.

At this moment, Chen Jiang was sitting to his right, and the seat to his left was clearly reserved for him.

Judging from the arrangement of this banquet, Sun Tongfei put some thought into it. It is also clear that Sun Tongfei values ​​Chen Jiang highly, otherwise he would not have done so.

Aside from the three of them, the others were mostly key members of the two departments, including Zhong Yixue. However, Sun Tongfei sat in the main seat, and the second seat was given to Yu Genshan (according to the table rule—the left hand is the place of honor), which was considered to give him enough face. Furthermore, he was seated to the left and right of Chen Jiang, so that it wouldn't be too awkward at the beginning.

"Oh, sir, you're too kind." Yu Genshan said politely, then walked over and sat down in a very natural and generous manner.

After the guests and hosts were seated, everyone was about to toast Sun Tongfei. He was the highest-ranking leader at the table today, and Yu Genshan was seated to his left. So Yu Genshan raised his glass and stood up to toast him.

Yu Genshan's glass was filled to the brim with Moutai Special Edition. If you savor it slowly, it's absolutely fragrant and leaves a lingering aftertaste. But offering a toast like this now would definitely be quite unpleasant.

But there was no way around it; that's the rule at the dinner table. When a subordinate toasts a superior, the glass must be filled to the brim, especially since he was the first to toast, and he stood up to do so. It wouldn't do to leave it half-full. "Oh, Genshan, sit down, sit down." Sun Tongfei wasn't going to stand up; he just made a gesture, but Yu Genshan, quick as a flash, stopped him. The two clinked glasses with smiles, and the latter downed his drink in one gulp. Sun Tongfei was quite satisfied and took a big gulp in response.

After Yu Genshan finished toasting, it was Chen Jiang's turn. This is the rule for toasting: one person at a time according to rank and seating order. So this time, Chen Jiang also filled his glass to the brim. Although Sun Tongfei still took a big gulp, the amount of wine he drank was noticeably less rapid than before. When other people toasted him, Sun Tongfei basically just licked his lips. This is all part of the drinking culture.

Of course, some subordinates, in an effort to impress, would choose to "pour the wine directly from the bottle," offering a toast and downing a whole bottle in one go. In such cases, Sun Tongfei would certainly be very pleased, showering him with praise, and he would also take a rare big gulp, but that was all.

The difference in rank is often diluted with alcohol, and whether you'll make your boss remember you at the dinner table is anyone's guess. If you drink like crazy, your boss might remember you, or he might not—after all, many people will drink heavily. But if you don't drink excessively, your boss will almost certainly not remember you.

Some might say, "So what if you can't remember it? Who cares?"

In this industry, the goal is to climb the ladder. Without the support of a leader, you can't do anything right, and in the end, you can only be a "happy salted fish" who will be quickly eliminated by the military.

There are exceptions at the dinner table, such as "Ice Beauty" Zhong Yixue. Today, she didn't drink alcohol, citing poor health, and only drank coconut milk. But there was nothing anyone could do, because Sun Tongfei didn't say anything, only that we should take full care of the female comrades. Besides, Chen Jiang also clearly stated that they should contribute more to the work, so at the dinner table, only he, the deputy director, should contribute more.

No one dared to say anything more.

Chen Jiang certainly wasn't going to risk his life today. His purpose in coming was very clear: to reconcile with Yu Genshan. So, after the first round of toasts, he proactively picked up a full glass of wine and walked over to Yu Genshan.
"Director Yu, Director Liao is unable to come today, so I'll toast you on behalf of our Operations Department." He then downed the drink in one gulp. This toast was purely a gesture, leaving Yu Genshan with no choice but to accept it. The man was representing the department to offer the toast, so it wouldn't be right for him not to drink.

Yu Genshan could only down most of the glass, as he had to give Sun Tongfei face.

Seeing that he had made progress, Chen Jiang poured himself another full glass of wine, picked up his second glass, and said, "Brother Genshan, I was reckless before. I apologize to you in public today. Please forgive me, I hope you are magnanimous."

Seeing Chen Jiang smiling at him, Yu Genshan had no reason to give him a cold shoulder, as the saying goes, one cannot hit a smiling face.

With Sun Tongfei also chiming in, "Xiao Chen, what are you saying? When Genshan was out there making a name for himself, you were still drawing pictures in school. Why would he bother with you?"

"Yes, yes, I misspoke. I'll punish myself with a drink." Chen Jiang downed the drink in one gulp with a big smile, then poured himself another. Now Yu Genshan had both face and face saved. With so many people watching, if he still didn't let it go, it would be said that Yu Genshan was petty, which would definitely not look good.

Whatever!

He was the kind of person who didn't care about formalities, and he realized that Chen Jiang didn't really need to treat him like this. Today, he was just being respectful, so he simply clinked glasses with him and said, "You little rascal, do you really think I'm a stingy guy?"

He opened his mouth and immediately swallowed it, drawing cheers from the crowd.

A huge weight was lifted off Chen Jiang's shoulders; he knew that this matter was finally over.

After the drinking party, Sun Tongfei arranged a karaoke session. He also really enjoys singing, and although his pitch was a bit off, he still had plenty of energy.

Yu Genshan's singing technique is obviously much better, and his rendition of "Little White Poplar" is decent.

The other young people requested trendy pop songs, such as Jay Chou's "Simple Love," which made Sun Tongfei and his friends feel the generation gap.

Zhong Yixue was invited by everyone, after all, without beautiful women in the private room, singing would be really boring. With everyone's enthusiastic encouragement, it was the first time that everyone heard Zhong Yixue sing. Chen Jiang never expected that Zhong Yixue would sing so well, definitely at the level of a vocal coach. Her rendition of "The Great Wall" amazed everyone.

Zhong Yixue's singing voice flowed gently through the private room like a clear spring. After she finished singing the last note, the entire room was silent for a few seconds before bursting into enthusiastic applause.

"Great! You sang so well!" Sun Tongfei was the first to stand up and applaud. "Xiao Zhong, I never knew you had this talent! It's practically professional level!"

Yu Genshan nodded repeatedly: "With this level of skill, I'll definitely nominate you for the next All-Army Arts Festival."

Chen Jiang looked at Zhong Yixue standing in the center of the private room. Under the light, the lines of her profile were much softer, no longer the icy demeanor she usually had. She lowered her head slightly, a faint smile playing on her lips—an expression Chen Jiang had never seen before.

"One more!" someone shouted.

Zhong Yixue shook her head and handed the microphone to the person next to her: "I'll only sing one song, everyone please continue."

As she walked back to her seat, she passed by Chen Jiang, who remarked, "You've really brought honor to our department."

Zhong Yixue paused, glanced at him, nodded slightly, and returned to her seat.

After several rounds of drinks and singing, Sun Tongfei received a phone call and said he had to leave urgently.

With the leader gone, the atmosphere became even more relaxed. After a few drinks, Chen Jiang and Yu Genshan finally put their arms around each other's shoulders. It wasn't a big deal to begin with; men can solve anything over drinks, and if there really is something, then have a few more!

(End of this chapter)