Chapter 242: Army Group Issues Multiple Urgent Orders!
The gap between expectations and results was too large, with imagination and reality miles apart.
Sun Dongping, who had served a total of just ten years, spent seven of those years in academies, and another year studying abroad.
The remaining two years, though in the troops, were spent at Zhu Rihe, which was undergoing major construction.
Zhu Rihe, due to establishing the Combined Arms Tactics Base, had its stationed troops focused mainly on construction for the past two-plus years, with basically no training targets.
Equivalent to no training at all!
Whether serving over a year as Deputy Battalion Commander or a year as Battalion Commander, Sun Dongping was engaged in construction at Zhu Rihe.
Centered around the standards set by General Staff Headquarters, it was either building training grounds outdoors amid flying sand or developing the five major systems’ foundations per the technicians’ requirements.
Regarding leading Grassroots Combat Units in training and how to interact with Grassroots Soldiers, etc.
Sun Dongping was actually just a Rookie!
Relying entirely on his Background connections and his gleaming Resume to charge ahead recklessly, never considering things from others’ perspectives, Sun Dongping arrived at the Pilot Combined Arms Battalion still accustomed to his old ways.
Thinking this trick would still work flawlessly, but it completely provoked universal anger.
Now the superior Regiment Headquarters refused to punish alongside Sun Dongping, leaving him unable to enforce from above, while the soldiers below treated his words as passing wind, saying one thing to his face and another behind his back, purely treating him as a joke.
At this moment, Sun Dongping in the Combined Arms Battalion was completely sidelined.
Having position and authority but unable to wield them.
Sun Dongping was a highly intelligent person; otherwise, he wouldn’t have had the opportunity to study deeply at National Defense University or be sent abroad for advanced training.
He knew clearly that in the current situation, there was a perfect solution.
And only one.
That was for him, Sun Dongping, to set aside all Face, politely go invite Chen Jun back, and profoundly reflect and admit fault at the whole battalion assembly.
If he could truly do this, it would definitely get training back on track.
After all, the troops were all straightforward men, without so many twists, turns, or petty scheming; everyone could accept knowing one’s mistake and correcting it.
But Sun Dongping couldn’t do it.
Not just Sun Dongping; most men couldn’t either.
Men were ultimately face-saving creatures; “dying for face and suffering for it” applied not just to individuals, but to most men.
The more competitive the person, the harder to set aside Face.
Especially men serving as Cadres in the troops, who valued Face even more than in society.
At this moment, for Sun Dongping to lower his proud head, discard all his Face, and publicly admit fault and apologize to everyone.
For the inherently dominant Sun Dongping, this was even more unbearable than killing him.
Simply impossible!
Thus, even though already basically trapped in a dead end, Sun Dongping couldn’t take this only way out, only grit his teeth and tough it out, treating the dead horse as alive, seeing if some miracle might appear.
The forceful remedy was also simple: Sun Dongping stuck to his old method.
That was continuing his domineering tactics, berating Company Commanders below who didn’t listen, and collectively extra training Warriors whose Results were unqualified.
Regardless of the emotions of the Cadres and Warriors below, forcibly pushing them into high-intensity training.
Insisting on going all the way down one path to the end!!
Sun Dongping wanted to use high pressure to make the Warriors fearful, submitting to his “tyranny,” forced to cooperate in training.
If in ordinary Grassroots Units, the Battalion Commander was already the highest Leader many ordinary Warriors could speak to in a lifetime.
Sun Dongping’s high-pressure approach might actually make the Warriors obey.
However, the Pilot Combined Arms Battalion was completely different; such crude methods had no effect here, only the opposite.
Those here were all Key Non-commissioned Officers, the most Excellent elites from each Company.
And the stronger the ability, the stronger the personality; it was this unconvinced character constantly driving them that made them elites in the troops.
People without temper, drifting along, without drive and power, generally ended up as nobodies.
The Warriors had personality; the Company Cadres were no pushovers either.
Qualifying to serve as Company Commander in the Combined Arms Battalion proved they were absolutely at Gao Cheng’s level; their characters could be compared directly to Gao Cheng’s.
Just without Gao Cheng’s such formidable Background, relatively less arrogant.
This Combined Arms Battalion composed of such a group of “troublemakers,” Sun Dongping attempting to subdue with brute force, was doomed to no good end.
Like a spring.
The harder you press down, the higher it bounces when you release.
Originally, the Company Cadres below had concerns, thinking as Battalion Commander Sun Dongping couldn’t openly resist orders, so they’d superficially cooperate and put on a show.
Only when Sun Dongping wasn’t around would they disregard him behind his back.
Now Sun Dongping had completely torn off the facade, daily grabbing Cadres and Warriors below to scold like dogs, thoroughly infuriating all Warriors and Cadres.
Plus Sun Dongping applying to the Regiment for Punishment, but Regiment Commander Wang completely ignoring him.
The Cadres and Warriors who originally put on a show now didn’t even bother pretending, simply going all out, whatever Sun Dongping wanted he could have.
Treating Sun Dongping’s orders as unheard, in one ear and out the other, completely ignoring.
Each Company doing its own thing.
This nominal Battalion Commander Sun Dongping was completely sidelined.
No one listened to Sun Dongping’s orders, infuriating his already stern face to quickly turn blue-black.
Veins on his neck and forehead bulged like giant earthworms from anger.
He was truly furious.
And truly somewhat regretting.
But with things at this point, nothing could be done.
Because after this turmoil, the final two months were nearly up, with less than half a month left.
Time was extremely limited, and all Subjects were still unqualified.
What more could Sun Dongping do?
Besides impotent rage, only despair remained.
It was under this utter hopelessness, realizing his impending failure, that Sun Dongping’s thinking entered a dead end.
Giving birth to an extremely distorted notion, blaming everything on Chen Jun.
Believing his inability to control the Combined Arms Battalion, the below people’s such resistance, leading to even training unfeasible, definitely failing Acceptance, final Result being beaten back to original shape.
The Pilot Combined Arms Battalion Commander official hat, not yet warmed, to be removed.
And in the most shameful way!
The culprit of all this was Chen Jun; without Chen Jun’s existence, he definitely could have smoothly led out the Pilot Combined Arms Battalion.
Completely forgetting that without Chen Jun, there wouldn’t even be the Pilot opportunity for the Combined Arms Battalion.
Under this distorted thinking’s influence, Sun Dongping pegged Chen Jun as the culprit of his failure, hating him to the bone.
Secretly vowing that even if not becoming Combined Arms Battalion Commander, he’d later settle scores with Chen Jun.
Use Strength to prove his ability, let everyone clearly know Chen Jun didn’t even qualify to carry his shoes compared to him Sun Dongping.
The Pilot Combined Arms Battalion not done well was fundamentally not his ability issue.
But Chen Jun playing tricks affecting everyone, making them not cooperate with his training, all opposing him, so he had ability but couldn’t wield it.
If everyone cooperated with his training, he absolutely could lead out China’s strongest Combined Arms Battalion.
Battalion Commander Sun Dongping inwardly unconvinced, even at this point not considering it his ability problem, still finding fault outside.
And preemptively finding reasons for failure, slinging all the blame onto Chen Jun.
While Chen Jun knew this was his final madness; soon he’d slink away in disgrace, so throughout he just smiled without speaking, ignoring completely.
Just waiting for the Military Region’s order.
In the remaining half month, training was basically stagnant.
The Military Region’s first Pilot Acceptance Work also formally began on October 2nd just after National Day, dispatching the Acceptance Working Group to station in the Combined Arms Battalion.
Targeting the five Companies under the Combined Arms Battalion, conducting Acceptance Work in two aspects.
First was assessment of each Company’s core Professional skills.
For example, Armored Company’s tank-related Subjects, whether reaching required levels, whether new Tactical Play expansions in Combined Arms Tactics field, etc.
Second was assessing whether the Combined Arms Battalion’s Companies could conduct Effective Integrated Operations.
Whether integrating Branches of Service into one Command system, fully playing each Branch’s Advantage, cooperating to achieve combat effectiveness greater than one plus one equals two.
Upgrading from basic Infantry-Tank Coordination, developing more Combined Arms Tactics playstyles.
Such as Tank-Artillery Coordination, Infantry-Tank-Artillery Coordination, Tank and Air Defense Coordination, Infantry-Artillery Coordination, etc., various multi-Branch Cooperative Combat.
These sound very simple, just several Branches cooperating in Combat?
I could do it too!
In reality, far from that simple; training Difficulty was very high.
Traditional Infantry, Artillery, Air Defense, etc., units were handed to Regiment Level for Command, uniformly coordinated by Regiment Staff Department.
Regiment Staff Department usually had dozens of people, commanding naturally with ease.
Now all delegated to Battalion Level, entire Battalion Headquarters with just a few Staff Officers, still splitting Combat and Logistics, each having to multitask.
How, with limited personnel, to ensure multi-Branch cooperation under command without any hitches.
This not only required below troops to mutually cooperate in training daily, building sufficient rapport.
So that with one order from above, two or even three Branch troops could immediately combine.
Breaking Traditional Units’ Tank Company and Infantry Company basically each playing their own outside exercises/training, unable to achieve rapport in Combat’s rigid mode.
Even more requiring the brain—Battalion Headquarters—to comprehensively command departmental cooperation in Combat.
In Traditional Combat, a Staff Officer only responsible for Infantry or Tanks or Artillery, just arranging them adequately.
While Combined Arms Battalion’s Command personnel very streamlined, Battalion Staff Group usually only five people.
Exclude two for Logistics, one more for Intelligence, leaving two Staff Officers for five Companies.
If a Combined Arms Battalion has six or seven Branches, each Staff Officer responsible for two or three Branches.
This required Staff Officers’ abilities stronger, not only proficient in one Branch’s Tactics and playstyle, but also two to three or more others.
And as supreme commander Battalion Commander even more so, he must know all Branches’ pros and cons.
Only then in Combat flexibly employ, assign most suitable tasks to all Branches, pair most suitable Branches for Cooperative Combat.
This just Command system’s part; complete Combined Arms Battalion operation even more complex.
Every point is Difficulty!!
Fundamentally not turnable by a few small tricks or stratagems.
Military Region gave four months training time, for new Battalion Commander to lead Combined Arms Battalion training, build up Pilot Combined Arms Battalion’s foundational skills.
But Sun Dongping failed to win over the Combined Arms Battalion, basically no proper training throughout.
Neither foundational skills nor Integrated Tactics.
Now still a pile of shit!
Military Region Acceptance Working Group down a week, fully assessed five Companies, final Result naturally horrific.
Except Electronic Warfare Company already simulated trained in advance by Military Region with foundation before coming down.
Most Acceptance projects qualified, even minority Subjects reaching Excellent, fully able to operate normally.
As long as whole entity can operate normally, represents Company able to pull out for Combat.
Equivalent to having minimal Combat Effectiveness!
Remaining Special Reconnaissance Company, Armored Company, Anti-aircraft Artillery Company, and Engineer Support Company, whether foundational skills or Integrated Operations, all a mess.
Not only no Excellent items, even qualified Subjects countable on fingers.
Working Group Team Leader seeing this Result, if not witnessing the entire process on site, would suspect deliberate sabotage.
Assembling elites from an entire 10,000-man Division, the produced Pilot Combined Arms Battalion with such dismal Results.
Truly incredulous!
These elite Officers and Soldiers casually placed anywhere, even per Traditional Reinforced Battalion training, Combat Effectiveness formed would rank top nationwide.
Yet this Military Region Chief’s high-hopes project, even headlined as nation’s first gimmick Combined Arms Battalion.
Acceptance Result so poor, really baffling.
Compared to previous Combined Arms Company’s Combat Effectiveness, one Company easily crushing a Reconnaissance Battalion, even pivotal in Regiment Level large-scale operations.
Now this expanded Pilot Combined Arms Battalion, simply unwatchable.
Calling it a pile of shit insults shit.
After all, shit can fertilize soil, grow tasty vegetables.
But despite Acceptance Working Group incredulous of Result, first Acceptance scores real and solid, however unbelieving became fact.
Working Group could only carry this pile of shit Results, return to Military Region reporting with wry smiles.
When this Result reached Military Region, the shock to Leaders unknown to below via any channel.
Because level too high, even rumors undiscoverable.
But Result delighted everyone.
Military Region’s Reaction Speed truly very fast; Acceptance Working Group returned first day, Military Region issued several Documents in succession.
First Document regarding Sun Dongping.
Sun Dongping, four months as Combined Arms Battalion Commander, gleefully had official hat yanked, immediately removed from Pilot Combined Arms Battalion Commander post, transferred back original unit awaiting Arrangement.
This Result foreseeable.
Basically no discussion points.
If one Warrior’s ability lacking, maybe that Warrior individually inadequate.
If one Squad’s Warriors lacking, maybe luck terribly bad, bunch of not-so-good Warriors coincidentally grouped.
But if entire Battalion’s Warriors lacking, and all pure Key Non-commissioned Officers, each elite from Companies.
Then absolutely not Warriors’ abilities lacking.
Answer only one—
Leading Battalion Commander inadequate!
Soldiers mediocre one by one, troops mediocre as a nest.
This saying true indeed!
Pilot Combined Arms Battalion first Acceptance failing, and scores like pile of shit failing, no surprise it’s Sun Dongping’s fault.
Only Battalion Commander Sun Dongping’s ability inadequate, so failed to build up Combined Arms Battalion.
This Acceptance Report also proves, no matter how glossy Sun Dongping’s Resume, how long abroad in Combined Arms Units, Sun Dongping unfit to lead this Pilot Combined Arms Battalion.
Acceptance Report equals Sun Dongping’s report card, equals Sun Dongping’s ability very poor.
In such situation.
Even with huge Background, no one dared hard-protect anymore.
