In the name of supernatural powers

Chapter 37 Border Defense Disagreements
Liang Fei left, but the soldiers in the reinforced platoon were in an uproar.

"Sir, you're not really leaving, are you?"

"Screw the transfer order! Let's go to the station headquarters and tell them that our reinforced platoon isn't made of clay."

"That's right! The officer led us to achieve merits several times, so why can he just transfer us like that? And send that grandson Liang Fei instead."

"What else can that lackey do besides scheming and flattering people? Last time during the exercise, he gave terrible orders and almost caused the third squad to fall off a cliff."

The soldiers chattered amongst themselves, their voices a mixture of reluctance to part with Lu Zhao and disgust for Liang Fei.

Historically, lackeys of high-ranking leaders have never been popular; they have to do a lot of dirty and tiring work for their leaders and offend many people in the process.

Liang Fei targeted Lu Zhao and others as well; his reputation among the grassroots officers and soldiers was already tarnished.

Lu Zhao slightly raised his right hand, and everyone immediately fell silent.

He said, "This is an order, and obeying orders is a soldier's duty. I will discuss the specific issues with my superiors. You should all return to your posts."

"As for the flood control plan during the flood season, don't worry about Liang Fei. If you have any problems, come and report to me anytime."

The crowd showed their dissatisfaction, but Lu Zhao's prestige overwhelmed everything, and they had no choice but to stand at attention and salute in response: "Yes."

This was Lu Zhao's confidence. In the reinforced platoon, his words transcended any written orders, like an iron rod piercing straight into the hearts of every soldier.

Lu Jinshan could transfer his people away with a single order, but he couldn't erase Lu Jinshan's prestige.

Unless he dares to replace the entire reinforced platoon.

However, the Ant Ridge Border Station is only a battalion-level unit, and many units are not fully staffed, so where would they find people to replace the reinforced platoon?

The handover was swift; Liang Fei handed over all the documents to Lu Zhao at 3 p.m.

Lu Zhao remained seated, working on the flood control plan without looking up, leaving Liang Fei standing. He asked, "Before becoming a training staff officer, Staff Officer Liang, you must not have worked in a duty squadron, right?"

Liang Fei replied, "I graduated from military academy as a junior officer, serving as an operations staff officer..."

“That means you’ve never been to the grassroots level.” Lu Zhao interrupted forcefully, then asked, “Do you know how many villages and towns are in the Ant Ridge area, and where flash floods usually pass through?”

Liang Fei frowned, only hesitating for two seconds.

“Answer me, Captain Liang.”

The calm voice carried an inexplicable force, making it hard for him to breathe. He held his breath and answered, "No..."

Lu Zhao then took out a file from the drawer and instructed:
"This shows the distribution of surrounding villages and towns, as well as the routes taken by aquatic animals over the years. Our main task is prevention and observation, while the hunting is handled by the local police, so timely reporting is essential."

"besides……"

The biggest challenge for the Ant Ridge Border Station is not drug traffickers, but the flash floods that occur every July.

The southwest monsoon brings heavy rainfall from the sea during the summer, causing the water levels of the Miye Sanjiang River to rise sharply, resulting in some river channels connecting with Ant Ridge. Unlike the Shenzhou Plain, where the Federation regularly hunts down monsters, the Miye Sanjiang River is a lawless land, with a rough estimate of over a thousand large and small factions entrenched there.

Beneath the three great rivers lies a cave of water beasts, which nurtures countless monsters that rush into Ant Ridge every flood season.

For the Miye Sanjiang region, it doesn't matter if hundreds or thousands of monsters come ashore, as long as it's not a beast tide, ordinary monsters can't eat many people.

Just like ancient worms that devour people, some could even wipe out an entire village, but for a dynasty, it was no big deal.

However, the federal government cannot ignore this situation, as any monster that runs in would seriously endanger public safety and disrupt people's production and work.

The border station's job is to provide early warnings, to stop things as much as possible if possible, and to report to the mainland authorities if they cannot stop them, so that local police can handle the situation.

The annual casualty rate depends on the accuracy and timeliness of their early warnings. Now the work has temporarily fallen to Liang Fei, and he still hopes that Liang Fei will fulfill his duties.

After explaining everything, Lu Zhao handed Liang Fei a thick stack of documents and instructed him again, "The preliminary work has been basically arranged. You just need to follow the steps."

“Although we have some disagreements, we are ultimately serving the people. I hope you can at least prioritize the safety of the people’s lives and property.”

If Liang Fei only wants to gain experience, then Lu Zhao can do him a favor.

Otherwise, he'll just be a commander without troops.

Liang Fei nodded in agreement, but how sincere he was was another matter.

Lu Zhao picked up his few office supplies, got up and left the office, and was promoted to a brand new office building.

The training staff officer has a separate office with air conditioning blowing blasts, dispelling the sweltering heat of the mountains.
-
The news of the smooth handover reached Lü Jinshan's ears.

He had been keeping a close eye on the situation of the duty squadron and had contingency plans for any potential conflicts.

The best-case scenario is that Lu Zhao leads his troops in a disturbance, so that he can use strong measures to suppress it. If Zhang Like also joins in the disturbance, he will be wiped out as well.

Within the Federation, there is no such thing as a lower-ranking soldier rebelling against his superiors; if such a situation were to occur, it would be suppressed.

Similarly, Lu Zhao and Zhang Like shouldn't be that stupid, so Lü Jinshan naturally didn't hold out much hope.

After finishing his report, the adjutant Chen Hongtao said with some concern, "Station Chief, Lu Zhao has indeed stopped bothering us, but Liang Fei has no frontline work experience and is only a temporary replacement. I'm afraid there will be problems later."

He paused, observing Lü Jinshan's expression.

At this moment, the round face already showed displeasure, but Chen Hongtao still wanted to continue.

Because flood control is the border station's top priority, it is related to the safety of people's lives and agricultural production in the three counties and eighteen townships nearby.

The golden age of ten years ago is over. Grain production has been hovering around the red line, making all agricultural production extremely important. Local governments have repeatedly emphasized this point every year.

No matter how much you, Lü Jinshan, fight, you can't joke about matters of life and death, can you?
As the deputy station chief, he was theoretically on the same level as Lü Jinshan, and Chen Hongtao was worthy of his position.

“I think Lu Zhao should be given part-time guidance until the flood season is over before he can fully commit to his new position.”

He offered a more moderate and prudent suggestion.

Lü Jinshan leaned back in his chair and waved his hand in refusal: "The plan has been arranged, why are there so many risks? Do you think our border station can't function without Lu Zhao?"

Chen Hongtao was speechless and felt a tightness in his chest from this sophistry.

Without Lu Zhao, the border station could certainly function, but it was precisely because Lu Zhao and the reinforced platoon were stationed on the front line that the Ant Ridge defense area achieved zero mistakes and zero casualties in several sudden floods over the past two years.

Behind this "step-by-step" approach lies Lu Zhao's strong frontline command ability and control over the reinforced platoon.

How can Liang Fei compare to graduates from Beijing University of Technology?
Lu Zhao had the vitality of a man in his thirties, but Liang Fei didn't even have half of that.

Chen Hongtao and Lü Jinshan reached a stalemate.

This is their biggest disagreement in recent years, and a consequence of the breakdown of Lü Jinshan's authority.

The essence of power is the will to carry it out even when faced with opposition.

Lu Zhaoyou faces the challenge of being transferred to a higher platoon and is determined to implement his policies, while Lü Jinshan's determination to implement his policies is gradually losing its effectiveness.

(End of this chapter)