Soldiers Assault: Starting from the 7th Steel Company

Chapter 256 Applying for a First-Class Merit?

There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone, with only faint breathing sounds audible.

Chen Jiang's heart was in his throat, because it seemed that only Amy could solve his problem right now.

A few seconds later, Amy's voice rang out again, "How long will it take you to reach the Libyan coast? Give me a rough estimate."

Chen Jiang looked at Captain Nikomovich, who had been listening intently the whole time and immediately leaned over to the nautical chart to quickly calculate.

“We can reach the public shipping lanes near the northern waters of Libya within 48 hours at the fastest,” Nikomovich said in a low voice.

"Did you hear that, Miss Amy? At most forty-eight hours," Chen Jiang said into the phone.

“That’s enough,” Amy said quickly. “I’ll arrange a cargo plane for you as soon as possible. Of course, I can’t provide the largest An-124 transport plane, but getting a medium-sized one shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll handle the takeoff permits and documents in Libya. All you need to do is arrive at the agreed coordinates at the agreed time, where one of my pick-up ships will be waiting. They will be responsible for safely transferring your ‘cargo’ from the cargo ship to the pick-up ship, and then transporting it to Tripoli airport as quickly as possible for loading onto the plane.”

"Airport security and inspections," Chen Jiang still had concerns.

Amy chuckled, her confidence evident: "I'm good friends with the president's darling here. With her help, I'm confident I can handle the Tripoli airport. Of course, what you're transporting isn't anything dangerous, is it? Missiles or anything like that, I can't help you transport them."

"Don't worry, it's not a missile, not a weapon of mass destruction, just some parts and some blueprints," Chen Jiang replied without hesitation.

"That shouldn't be a big problem! Send me your cargo ship's details. Keep communication open and wait for my further instructions." Amy ended the call decisively.

Over the next two days, the cargo ship sped toward the Libyan coastline.

Libya is a friendly country to East Asia, so resolving the issue here is indeed a good idea.

On the evening of the third day, the cargo ship finally arrived at its designated location.

On the pitch-black sea, only the faint moonlight cast ripples.

In the distance, a traffic light flashed three times in a regular pattern.

“It must be them!” Nikomovich whispered.

A medium-sized barge quietly approached.

The crew on board acted professionally and swiftly, and after exchanging the secret signal with Chen Jiang and the others, they immediately began their work.

Heavy cranes extended from the barge, precisely located the specially marked containers, and carefully transferred them from the cargo ship to the barge.

They were incredibly lucky; the sea was calm, so there were no major incidents.

The entire process took place in complete silence, and was breathtakingly efficient.

"Good luck, Mr. Chen." Captain Nikomovich shook hands with Chen Jiang and said goodbye.

The cargo ship will continue on its original route. Although this trip is a bit roundabout, the money they gave is enough to make up for it all.

Chen Jiang and several key experts boarded the waiting barge with the most important blueprints and core components.

Yuri continued to follow along with his men; these were his "cash cows."

The barge, at full power, quietly sailed into a secluded corner of the port of Tripoli.

Several trucks that had been waiting transported the container directly to the airport.

Tripoli International Airport.

As Amy said, everything went smoothly.

Airport ground staff seemed used to this, and under the direction of several people who were clearly Amy's men, they moved the container directly to an An-8 transport plane.

Amy herself was waiting by the gangway, dressed in a neat khaki hunting outfit and wearing sunglasses. When she saw Chen Jiang, a smile appeared on her lips: "Chen, this plane should be big enough to hold your things, right?"

Chen stared at the twin-engine transport plane designed and manufactured by the Soviet Antonov Design Bureau, utterly shocked. "Unbelievable, you actually managed to get your hands on something like this?"

"It's a rental, from an 'old friend.' It just so happens to be executing another contract in North Africa, and I paid a high price to have it prioritize my service," Amy said casually. "Alright, hurry up, you need to take off before dawn to avoid unnecessary trouble."

Chen Jiang's feelings for Amy are complicated. It would be a lie to say that he wasn't moved at all. It's very rare for her to use her own resources to trust Chen Jiang without reservation and let him transport the goods out.

However, he genuinely had no interest in Amy's romantic feelings. Putting aside the fact that he was a married man, his loyalty to his relationship wouldn't change easily. Moreover, Amy's thinking was too Westernized, and as a future high-ranking general of the country, Chen Jiang couldn't possibly have close contact with foreign women.

Under Amy's watchful eye, the transport plane carrying the goods that Chen Jiang had painstakingly obtained finally took off and flew towards the motherland.

Because this type of transport aircraft is relatively old and has a range of only about 3000 kilometers, it is necessary to refuel and rest midway.

After contacting higher authorities and conducting comprehensive international consultations, it was ultimately decided to first fly to Syria for refueling, then fly to Pakistan, and then transfer to a military airport of the Chengdu Military Region in China.

The journey was quite long, with a total distance of nearly 10000 kilometers. Chen Jiang and the group of experts he brought had no objections. After all, what was a little hardship compared to being able to buy such a valuable prototype and blueprints?
Yuri, however, was in a much worse situation. He admitted that he had never experienced such a long cargo plane ride before, and it was really uncomfortable. He had originally wanted to find a place in Syria to "relax," but Chen Jiang rejected his idea without hesitation. They had to return home as quickly as possible, as any delays on the way would bring great danger.

Although Chen Jiang's combat prowess is astonishing, what about those experts and supplies? These are valuable national assets, and he must take responsibility for them.

Syria has a good relationship with our country, so even though there is frequent fighting there, we still provided as much convenience as possible. After a short rest, Chen Jiang and his group set off for Pakistan. Compared to Syria, Pakistan has a closer relationship with us. As soon as Chen Jiang's plane landed, local dignitaries came up to greet them and expressed their warm welcome to the guests from afar.

Chen Jiang dared not leave the plane even for a moment. The closer he got to home, the less he could afford to be careless, so he politely declined the offer, and embassy staff came to his rescue in time.

After refueling, Chen Jiang and his team ate a simple meal provided by the embassy and then flew directly to Chengdu military airport without stopping.

The moment the plane landed, everyone excitedly shouted "Long live the motherland!" because they understood what what they had brought back meant for the fledgling aircraft carrier program.

The plane door slowly opened, and humid southern air rushed into the cabin. Chen Jiang took a deep breath, and his nerves, which had been tense for several days, finally relaxed a little.

He was the first to step off the gangway, his feet firmly planted on the soil of his motherland.

On the airport runway, the military deployed an extremely strict security team, and the military personnel, who were already on high alert, quickly and systematically began their work.

A middle-aged man in the uniform of an army senior colonel strode forward and saluted Chen Jiang solemnly: "Director Chen, thank you for your hard work! I have been ordered to receive this batch of important supplies."

Chen Jiang returned the salute and took out a sealed document bag from his pocket: "This is a complete list of technical data and transportation logs. Please check."

The officer took the document and nodded in acknowledgment.

Behind them, a professional technical team had begun preliminary inspections of the containers, while heavy trucks and special transport vehicles were neatly arranged, ready to transfer these precious supplies to the secret research base at any time.

Yuri stood on the gangway, watching all this, and couldn't help but whistle, "Wow, that's quite a show." He quickly walked to Chen Jiang's side and lowered his voice, "My friend, look at this final payment..."

Chen Jiang smiled slightly: "Don't worry, I will pay you every penny of the promised reward."

Yuri immediately beamed and left with the receptionist.

The experts were put in special vehicles where they will undergo necessary health checks and receive briefings.

The senior colonel walked up to Chen Jiang and stood beside him, watching the busy transfer site: "These things you brought back are a hundred times more precious than gold. The researchers are already eager to start studying them."

After the handover procedures were completed, Chen Jiang finally felt relieved. He boarded a special car sent by the Chengdu Military Region, stayed overnight at the military region's guesthouse, and flew back to the General Armament Department early the next morning.

The ministry did not hold a celebration for Chen Jiang's return, as the operation was essentially secret, but Minister Cao still summoned him specifically.

In his office, Minister Cao was very excited.
"Chen Jiang, you completed this mission exceptionally well. The head of the National Aviation Industry Corporation specifically praised you, saying that you have made unparalleled contributions to the development of carrier-based aircraft for our motherland! With these blueprints and prototypes, our carrier-based aircraft development time can be shortened by at least three years."

This was already a very high compliment, but what Minister Cao said next left Chen Jiang speechless.

"Your contribution is already quite significant; the ministry is considering nominating you for a first-class merit award!"

You should know that in the army, it is very difficult for ordinary soldiers to get a third-class merit, and a second-class merit is extremely difficult to obtain. Chen Jiang has only received it a few times, but he never really thought about getting a first-class merit.

Some people jokingly say: "Third-class merit is received standing up, second-class merit is received sitting down, and first-class merit is received by the family." Although this is a joke, it reflects the difficulty of earning merit.

"Minister, it's really nothing, it's a first-class merit, isn't it?" Chen Jiang was a little embarrassed.

Minister Cao waved his hand and said, "Don't be too modest. You have made a great contribution this time, and we are generous in rewarding those who have made contributions."

He glanced at Chen Jiang, who seemed hesitant to speak, and said, "We have considered the others on this trip, including Mr. Yuri and Ms. Amy who helped us. We will not treat them unfairly."

Minister Cao's words surprised Chen Jiang. He hadn't expected that his words and actions abroad were so well-known to the top leaders in China. The work done in this regard was truly meticulous.

"Don't overthink it. The main issue is that the items you're escorting this time are extremely important, so we must mobilize all available resources to ensure that they can be transported back to the country."

"Without much thought, I am a soldier. A soldier's duty is to obey orders. As long as it is useful to the interests of the motherland, I will do my best and never let it go wrong." Chen Jiang stood up and answered loudly.

Minister Cao was very satisfied with Chen Jiang's performance. The feedback from the security department made him very proud: Chen Jiang was calm and wise in handling matters, and he was always mindful of the country's resources, protecting them vigilantly.

All of this made him secretly glad that he had been so wise to bring him from the General Logistics Department.

"Good, well said!" Minister Cao praised, then changed the subject, "You know, now that we have what you brought back, we have a research foundation for carrier-based aircraft, but the interceptor cable issue is still unresolved."

"Minister, I paid special attention to this during my trip to the Middle East. The Russians are clearly treating us like suckers." Chen Jiang reported the progress of the negotiations in the UAE to Minister Cao.

In particular, when Minister Cao heard the sales representative from the Russian bear country making such an outrageous demand, he couldn't help but feel furious. "Robbers! They're simply robbers! Our economic situation is developing well, and we have some money, but we can't spend it like this."

“Indeed, if we open this door, and all weapons and equipment are produced this way in the future, when will it ever end?” Chen Jiang also firmly opposed it.

"Well, we still need to find a way to get our hands on this. Without it, even with carrier-based aircraft, it's impossible to complete a short-distance landing on an aircraft carrier," Minister Cao said helplessly.

"Perfect timing. The US military trade representatives will also be invited to participate in the Shanghai International Marine Equipment Expo in China. Why don't you make another trip and go talk to them, see if you can find a bargain? As long as the price is right, even if it's a little expensive, we'll accept it! After all, it can greatly advance the commissioning time of our aircraft carrier."

"Huh? We have to negotiate with them again?" Chen Jiang got angry at the mention of the United States. "They are even stricter in blocking our technology. They practically won't discuss this kind of thing!"

"There's no harm in giving it a try. What if we change the representative and the deal goes through? It's all about human effort!" Minister Cao encouraged him. "As long as there's even a one percent chance, we should put in a hundred percent effort."

Chen Jiang had no choice but to comply. "Okay, I'm willing to go, but let me make this clear first: please don't have too high hopes."

"Haha," Minister Cao laughed, "You rascal, what discouraging words you're spouting before even setting out? You're someone who can create miracles, I have high hopes for you!"

Chen Jiang was unmoved by this motivational platitude. "Miracles don't happen every day, especially not with the Americans. They're unlikely to help us achieve our dream of a strong military. Ultimately, we have to rely on ourselves to take it one step at a time!"

(End of this chapter)