Soldiers' Assault: Veteran Special Agents and New Recruits

Chapter 530 The Deputy Division Commander's Attempt to Win Him Over

the next day.

The various units are still carrying out preparations, and the confrontation between the two armies has not yet begun.

During this busy time, Wu Yiwen suddenly appeared at Jackie Chan's place, bringing with him a local specialty, deer antler.

Jackie Chan had no idea what Wu Yiwen wanted.

However, since the two had no grudges against each other and one doesn't hit a smiling face, they didn't turn him away but warmly welcomed him in.

Jackie Chan's dormitory was a standard military officer's room.

The room has a bed in one half for sleeping, a sofa and coffee table in the other half for receiving guests, and a desk near the door for working.

"Please sit down, Deputy Division Commander Wu."

Jackie Chan gestured for Wu Yiwen to sit down: "I really didn't expect you to come here. I didn't prepare anything, not even a pot of tea. Please forgive me."

"We're both soldiers, no need to be so polite. I just wanted to have a chat with you."

Wu Yiwen smiled and smoothed things over, taking the initiative to change the subject, saying, "Jackie Chan, to be honest, I was very impressed with our first meeting. I think you are really someone important."

"I think Deputy Division Commander Wu hasn't forgotten that your covert advance was initially praised by the leaders, but later you were criticized because of me. You don't blame me at all?" Jackie Chan said frankly.

"No way, this was purely an accident. It's your job."

Wu Yiwen was still unaware that Jackie Chan had deliberately stopped his car, intending to get to him. He was completely oblivious and said with a friendly smile, "We haven't known each other for long, but you'll get to know me soon enough."

Although you made me look foolish that day, just as you said, you were doing your job, so how can I blame you?

Jackie Chan still couldn't guess why Wu Yiwen had come to see him.

Not wanting to continue beating around the bush, he simply stated directly, "Since you, Deputy Division Commander Wu, have said so, then I will also make my point clear."

Actually, I wasn't on official business that day. I deliberately picked a fight with you, with only one purpose: to prevent you from reporting to the division headquarters on time.

"Hahaha……"

Upon hearing Jackie Chan's confession, Wu Yiwen not only didn't get angry, but instead burst into laughter.

After laughing for a while, he said, "Jackie Chan, Jackie Chan, I really didn't misjudge you. You really are a straightforward person. I like dealing with straightforward people."

Okay, then I won't lie to you, actually I already knew about these things that day.

You wanted to help your old company commander. I really admire your character, your courage and sense of responsibility, and your loyalty.

Wu Yiwen spoke with genuine emotion, and it didn't seem like he was deliberately being pretentious.

"I don't deny that I have a bias towards you and the old company commander. Objectively speaking, what I did did help him, but my real intention was actually for you."

To emphasize the weight of his words, Jackie Chan pointed at Wu Yiwen before continuing, "I think you're just putting on a show, deliberately trying to impress the leader, and you don't really want to do it."

"Based on my personal emotional inclinations, I decided to take the initiative, causing your show to fail."

"Good, very good."

Wu Yiwen was still not angry, but he stopped laughing and became very formal, saying sincerely, "Your move was indeed very good. You made me realize firsthand the shortcomings of long-distance covert advances."

In a sense, you are helping me so that I can correct my tactical mistakes.

At the same time, I witnessed firsthand that you are a principled, capable, and discerning person who distinguishes between public and private matters. My biggest regret is that I didn't select you.

If I could become the commander of the First Division, I would definitely try my best to get you to stay.

Wu Yiwen's last words revealed his purpose for coming here, which finally saved Jackie Chan from being completely confused.

"I'm grateful for Deputy Division Commander Wu's kind words, but I'm going to undermine you as soon as I arrive. Aren't you afraid that our cooperation will run into problems?" Jackie Chan deliberately asked a pointed question.

"Ha ha."

I thought you were laughing again, so I sighed and said very seriously, "Jackie Chan, what I admire most about you is your outspokenness and daring."

Even if you are barbed wire, I will keep you by my side.

When I'm feeling sleepy and confused, you can give me a little nudge to wake me up, which is a hundred times better than those soft pillows.

Today, after just a few short words with you, I've become even more convinced of my belief.

Don't think I'm saying this on purpose; you'd be mistaken. I'm speaking from the heart. I value long-term cooperation more.

Wu Yiwen has made his point clear; the meaning behind his words is quite obvious.

Jackie Chan basically understood it!

"Deputy Division Commander Wu seems very confident. He's determined to get the position of commander of the First Division. My old company commander has met a formidable opponent. I have to help him out."

Jackie Chan deliberately spoke in a teasing tone, but he was actually telling Wu Yiwen something in return.

We'll talk about what happens after you become a division commander. Right now, I, Jackie Chan, only support my old company commander. If you want me to help you or go easy on you, that's impossible.

"It's rare to encounter a worthy opponent in life. It's an honor to compete with Chief of Staff Gao, and I look forward to our future cooperation."

Wu Yiwen had said almost everything, and after leaving a few final words, he got up to take his leave.

To avoid feeling indebted to Wu Yiwen, Jackie Chan put the deer antlers that Wu had brought back into his briefcase, saying that young people are healthy and don't need to take supplements.

Wu Yiwen declined a few times but couldn't refuse, so he could only laugh it off and leave.

……

Day three.

After two days of preparation, the coastal training exercise officially kicked off in full swing.

Several large teams, numbering in the thousands, were all brought to the seaside, occupying a stretch of coastline that ran for several kilometers, and began conducting sea training related to the coast.

The sight of thousands of men shirtless swimming in the sea was quite impressive.

only.

While most people went into the sea, some soldiers were too afraid to go in, and even the battalion commander's personal urging couldn't stop them.

This group of people are armored soldiers from the Inner Mongolian grasslands who have never seen the sea in their lives.

They can ride horses across the grasslands and ride tanks across the battlefield, but the sight of the vast ocean makes their scalp tingle.

That was fear that came from the very soul!

Even though everyone was given a life jacket, and the training was only in shallow water, no more than two meters deep, and there were lifeguards on standby.

These armored soldiers from the grasslands still dared not rush into the sea.

Coastal combat training involves not only the confrontation between the two armies, but also the training results of the personnel from both sides. It will definitely depend on which side has the best training effect.

It would be bad if the soldiers didn't go into the water.

Fortunately, Gao Cheng discovered and resolved the issue in time.

He himself was a former armored infantryman, so he understood what these armored soldiers were afraid of. He used a specific reference point to eliminate the fear of the Inner Mongolian men.

Takashiro used horseback riding as his reference point!

People from the south are often terrified of horseback riding when they first visit Inner Mongolia, fearing they might fall off, just like you wouldn't dare go into the sea.

You are all skilled riders, capable of conquering the wild horses of the grasslands. Surely you can conquer the beach?

Most people are susceptible to being provoked.

Soldiers eat even more.

Those Inner Mongolian men who agree with Gao Cheng's point believe that they can conquer the horses on the grasslands and also conquer the sea before them.

They forced themselves to suppress their fear and charged into the waves, screaming as they did so.

The scene of Gao Cheng "persuading" the landlubber to go into the water was witnessed by Deputy Commander Zhong, who came to watch the competition. He then sent someone to call him over for a private talk.

"Reporting, Deputy Commander Zhong."

Gao Cheng jogged over and raised his hand to salute when he was three or four meters away.

"Did you drag your whole team into this?"

Deputy Commander Zhong withdrew his gaze from the distance, turned to Gao Cheng, and returned the salute.

"Yes, the work is a bit difficult. Some soldiers don't even know that seawater is salty, let alone go into the sea. We need to persuade them to overcome this challenge," Gao Cheng replied loudly.

"I understand."

Deputy Commander Zhong laughed and said with empathy, "The soldiers I met in Lu Han's brigade were even more interesting than the ones you've met."

His grandfather drowned, and from then on, the family established a rule that no one was allowed to go into the water.

Just think how difficult it would be to convince him to go into the water, haha.

Such bizarre family rules are truly rare in the world. No wonder that even after so long, Deputy Commander Zhong still couldn't help but laugh when he talked about it.

"I've heard about this. If the commander hadn't personally intervened, that soldier would have deserted," Gao Cheng chimed in with a laugh.

"They did the work themselves; I just offered some support."

Deputy Commander Zhong declined modestly for a moment, then asked, "Oh, right, I forgot to ask before, what did you gain from your studies abroad this time?"

"There are so many feelings involved."

When the topic of his study abroad trip came up, Gao Cheng immediately perked up.

Tell me about it.

Deputy Commander Zhong stood with his hands behind his back, looking quite interested.

"In developed countries in Europe and America, their annual military budgets have been increasing, with some reaching as high as five percent. In other words, their military budgets far exceed their economic growth rate," Gao Cheng stated, revealing his biggest observation.

"What does this mean?" Deputy Commander Zhong asked curiously.

"This shows that economically developed countries have a very strong sense of national defense. In their minds, there is no such thing as a peaceful era, only a state of war and a state of non-war."

Therefore, they haven't slowed down their national defense construction for a single day; on the contrary, they've been constantly accelerating it, about to unleash an unprecedented new military revolution.

Gao Cheng spoke fluently and eloquently, clearly envying the "high military budgets" of foreign countries.

On the eve of the Olympic Games in this capital city, due to our country's various special characteristics, even though our military size ranks among the top in the world, our military budget has always been far less than that of Europe and the United States.

It's not even a fraction of the first place's score.

From a soldier's perspective, they would certainly hope that military spending could be increased.

Higher military spending is essential for developing and purchasing better equipment, training more skilled soldiers, and strengthening national defense.

"So what's the conclusion?"

Deputy Commander Zhong was also aware of this issue and immediately pressed for further details.

"The conclusion is that whether our country can keep up with this revolution will inevitably affect our country's position in the world in the mid-to-late 21st century."

From a later perspective, Gao Cheng's conclusion was indeed quite prescient.

Because starting from the current timeline, the military expenditure of our country's armed forces began to increase significantly, with rapid leaps in everything from soldiers' salaries to various equipment.

It is precisely because of the support of substantial military spending that the aircraft carrier, a behemoth that my country has never had before, has finally been launched and commissioned.

And it wasn't just one ship, but several ships were launched every year, like dumplings being dropped into a pot.

This is the advantage of having a large military budget!

After hearing Gao Cheng's conclusion, Deputy Commander Zhong did not immediately respond. Instead, he turned and walked to a nearby spot, touched the shore-based cannon that had become an artifact, and asked, "Do you know the origin of this cannon?"

"I've heard some of it."

Gao Cheng, unaware of Deputy Commander Zhong's intentions, answered truthfully.

"Then you tell us," said Deputy Commander Zhong.

"This cannon is called the Krupp cannon. It was made in Germany and was purchased by the Governor-General of Fujian in the seventeenth year of the Guangxu Emperor's reign for more than 50,000 taels of silver. I heard that its total weight reached 50 tons, and it was claimed to be the largest cannon in Asia at that time," Gao Cheng answered as if reciting a familiar story.

"Actually, its real power lies not in its destructive force, but in its enormous noise. It is said that after it was installed, a test firing was conducted, and the huge noise frightened the water buffaloes of the local people, causing them to bellow incessantly for three days and three nights," Minister Wang added from the side.

"Yes, the incredibly powerful cannons never fired a single shell at the enemy during the war, ultimately becoming mere decorations that the invaders couldn't move," Deputy Commander Zhong said meaningfully.

"Deputy Commander Zhong, I understand."

Gao Cheng understood the meaning and said happily, "You mean that the modern weapons we have now must be used to achieve maximum combat effectiveness as soon as possible, rather than becoming decorative items to show off?"

"right."

Deputy Commander Zhong sighed and said, "What you said about increasing the military budget is certainly important, but equipment is static; ultimately, combat effectiveness depends on the people."

The reason this cannon became a mere decoration was that few of the Qing soldiers at the time were skilled enough to operate what was then Asia's largest cannon.

As a result, after half a century of internal and external troubles, it quietly turned into a magnificent piece of scrap metal, a monument of shame for the old Chinese army.

National defense is the backbone of a country; without a backbone, a nation cannot stand tall or hold its head high.

Deputy Commander Chung has always insisted on putting people first, as seen in his online confrontation with Jackie Chan, and the same applies to his current discussion with Ko Shing.

This idea is, to some extent, indeed flawless.

Unlike Jackie Chan, who insisted on his own ideas, he had a stable core to his military theories and fought back and forth with Deputy Commander Chung for several months.

Upon hearing Deputy Commander Zhong's words, Gao Cheng was immediately assimilated by his people-oriented approach.

(End of this chapter)