Chapter 119: Steel Seventh Company’s “new Era” Begins!
After confirming the trial formation of the Combined Arms Company with the Regiment Commander, Gao Cheng also ordered a batch of equipment and supplies from the regiment, which the Logistics Department would deliver to the Seventh Company in a few days.
After finishing all this and leaving the regiment headquarters, it was already afternoon by the time they returned to the Steel Seventh Company.
The Political Instructor Hong Xingguo, true to his role as a political officer, was indeed skilled at creating an atmosphere after a great victory in the mid-year grand competition, having arranged a grand welcoming ceremony.
Not only did he arrange for all the officers and soldiers of the company to line up in their service uniforms at the main entrance to welcome them.
He also uniquely made various banners and personally wrote couplets on the walls, creating a full display worthy of soldiers returning victorious from conquering a city.
The competition team, led by Chen Jun and Gao Cheng, felt the strong celebratory atmosphere as soon as they got off the vehicle.
The soldiers of the Seventh Company had excited expressions, and as the competition team members alighted, everyone excitedly surrounded them.
One after another, they spoke.
Like curious babies, the scene was truly lively and bustling.
Gao Cheng truly had the demeanor of a victorious general returning from the battlefield.
Standing tall with his head held high, looking at the sky at a twenty-five-degree angle, he specifically held the red brocade banner of “T Division Victory Company” with both hands, walking with pride and presence towards the Political Instructor.
“Political Instructor, how is it, looks good, right? With this banner, our Steel Seventh Company is now officially the strongest company in the entire division. Red Third Company, Great Merit Sixth Company, they are nothing before us.”
Every pore and every cell of Gao Cheng exuded pride.
“Good, good, it does look good, haha.”
Political Instructor Hong Xingguo was also genuinely happy. The Steel Seventh Company had never been so imposing as it was today, making him almost lose control.
His hand, gently stroking the brocade banner, trembled slightly.
Other platoon leaders and veteran soldiers also gathered around, vying to admire this honor representing the strongest in the entire division.
The atmosphere at this moment.
It was hundreds of times more lively than New Year’s.
“Shi Jin, you, you come here, take this, quickly arrange for a few people, the efficient ones, to hang this up. Remember, yes, remember, don’t hang it in the Hall of Honor. People can’t see it there. Hang it in the most conspicuous place in our company.”
Gao Cheng, seeing Shi Jin approaching with a smile, generously gave him a glorious mission.
“Alright, Company Commander.”
Shi Jin smiled like an idiot, respectfully took the brocade banner with both hands, and looked at the wall directly in front of the entrance as they walked into the building. There was a vacant spot.
“Company Commander, is it okay to hang it there? I think that spot is pretty good, you can see it right when you enter.” Shi Jin indicated a location with the hand holding the banner.
“Yes, that’s the spot.”
Theoretically, such an important brocade banner should have been placed in the Hall of Honor, but Gao Cheng agreed to hang it on the wall directly opposite the main entrance, which seemed rather ostentatious.
But Gao Cheng didn’t care at all; he wanted to put it in a conspicuous place.
The main point was to show off!
And this was Gao Cheng’s style of doing things. His actions were like a precious sword drawn from its sheath, sharp and revealing, never engaging in modesty or introversion.
If you have strength, you should show it off. Only those without strength need to hide.
With Gao Cheng’s approval, Shi Jin immediately shouted, “Xiao Ning, hurry up and get a ladder! Tie Jun, you go get a hammer and nails…”
Under Shi Jin’s shouts and instructions, the lively Seventh Company soldiers who had gathered separated into a group and followed Shi Jin into the building.
They couldn’t witness the competition firsthand and win first place, but they couldn’t miss the sacred moment when the honor representing the strongest was hung in the Steel Seventh Company.
The Political Instructor also came to Chen Jun at this time, expressing the company’s most sincere congratulations.
Congratulations to Chen Jun for winning the All-around Elite Soldier and a Second Class Merit.
With Chen Jun’s achievement as the All-around Competition Sharp Soldier and Second Class Merit, Wu Liu Yi and Cheng Cai’s Collective Second-class Merit had to step aside at this moment.
Of course.
The main reason for specifically congratulating Chen Jun was that Hong Xingguo clearly understood who the biggest contributor was in this mid-year grand competition.
That’s why he specially came to congratulate Chen Jun, hinting at Chen Jun’s status in the Steel Seventh Company.
It can be said that from now on.
Chen Jun had already become the third-highest figure in the Steel Seventh Company, whether in terms of prestige, authority, or strength, it was well-deserved.
Not the Deputy Company Commander, but equivalent to one.
“Thank you, Political Instructor. I only did the small things I could. It is my lifelong honor to lead the competition team to victory.”
Chen Jun’s reply was neither humble nor arrogant, acknowledging his efforts without excessive boasting.
“Good, good, good, keep up the good work. I believe that with your addition to the Steel Seventh Company, it will definitely become stronger and stronger in the future, reaching a new peak.”
The Political Instructor patted Chen Jun’s arm, his eyes filled with impeccable satisfaction, and then said, “The competition was hard. You should go back to the dormitory to rest. I have arranged a feast for tonight, and we will have a good drink then.”
“Okay, Political Instructor, I’ll head in first then.”
It was inconvenient to talk while carrying a backpack and luggage, so Chen Jun nodded and walked in, followed by several young admirers.
Some rushed to carry his bag, others helped with his backpack.
The main focus was on comprehensive service!
Chen Jun had won nine consecutive victories in the division competition, overwhelming the contestants from other regiments. The regiment’s military report, the division’s military report, and gossip had long spread to every corner of the division.
He was known as the legendary figure “Strongest First Lieutenant,” and as someone from the Steel Seventh Company, almost everyone had become Chen Jun’s fan.
If Chen Jun hadn’t refused so many people’s help, the entire company would probably have rushed to his dormitory to help him make his bed.
However.
While Chen Jun didn’t need so many people to help him, the other ten contestants from the competition team were also great contributors, and they also received hero-like treatment.
Dozens of people swarmed forward, quickly “dividing” Wu Liu Yi and Cheng Cai among them.
With an average of three to four soldiers serving one person, it fully demonstrated the power of numbers. In less than ten minutes, all the contestants’ housekeeping was taken care of.
And it was to the highest standard!
After arranging their personal belongings and luggage, with still an hour or two before the evening feast, the remaining afternoon time became a sharing session.
Back in their respective squads, each contestant transformed into the best storyteller.
Using their personal experiences as contestants, they vividly shared with their comrades who could only stay at the company everything they experienced during the competition.
What happened during the regiment’s competition, and what happened during the division’s competition.
These were all on the sharing list.
The soldiers who acted as listeners, whenever they heard about a record-breaking moment, couldn’t help but exclaim.
Especially when they heard that Chen Jun had broken the all-army record and won a Second Class Merit, the exclamations reached their peak.
The decibel level was so high that even from the large parade ground behind the building, one could hear the various shouts coming from the dormitories of each squad.
This was a Second Class Merit.
In peacetime without war, looking at the entire 702nd Regiment, there were very few people who had ever received a Second Class Merit.
This shows how difficult it was to obtain a Second Class Merit in peacetime.
And now, there was one among them.
How could this not make everyone envious and admiring?
The company’s soldiers were listening to “legendary stories,” while the Political Instructor was busy arranging the various honors received and the matters concerning the evening feast.
The feast was essentially a celebration banquet, and the Political Instructor would certainly have to give a speech on behalf of the company.
Especially since this competition had gone so well, bringing back the division’s first place to the company, and someone had won a Second Class Merit, the speech would definitely need to be more substantial.
If he didn’t prepare a good draft beforehand, the Political Instructor felt he would be letting down this great victory.
Gao Cheng and Chen Jun were also not idle; they had even more things to attend to.
Whether the Combined Arms Company could be stably established in the end still depended on the results of the upcoming confrontation military exercise. It was equivalent to the Steel Seventh Company’s synthesized formation being only a trial run.
No matter how confident Chen Jun was, he dared not be careless in the slightest.
After all, this was related to the “life and death” of the Steel Seventh Company.
If there were any accidents that led to the failure of the synthesized modification, tragedy might repeat itself, and the Steel Seventh Company would be torn apart.
Furthermore.
The Regiment Commander had only given them six months to make the synthesized reorganization combat-effective.
The difficulty was quite high!
Therefore, Gao Cheng and Chen Jun needed to seize the time to complete the synthesis and reorganization of the Steel Seventh Company as soon as possible and then put it into training in the shortest possible time.
Every extra day spent on training would enhance their combined arms tactics.
After more than an hour of discussion that afternoon, Gao Cheng and Chen Jun roughly divided their tasks for the preliminary synthesized modification work.
Chen Jun’s initial tasks included two items.
First, he had to write the training syllabus for the Combined Arms Company. Without a training syllabus as the core outline, the subsequent training work could not proceed.
After all, neither Company Commander Gao Cheng nor the backbone squad leaders and soldiers understood combined arms operations.
They needed a detailed training syllabus as support so that they could lead the soldiers in effective training based on the syllabus content.
Chen Jun, as the key figure, could only steer the ship, leading everyone forward in the direction of synthesis.
He couldn’t possibly teach each soldier’s training individually; it could only be handled by the backbone squad leaders in the middle.
Second, he had to refine the combined arms tactics theory.
Only with theoretical support for the synthesized reorganization, letting the superior leaders know that Chen Jun truly had substance, could the combined arms tactics go further.
Words spoken from the mouth alone ultimately lack persuasiveness; writing it down on paper would make people believe.
Chen Jun was responsible for the theoretical and syllabus aspects of the work. This was a task that only he could undertake, essentially shaping the soul of the Combined Arms Company.
Gao Cheng was responsible for the company’s modification work, essentially building the body of the Combined Arms Company.
Chen Jun had previously proposed how the nine squads of the Steel Seventh Company should be reorganized, and Gao Cheng only needed to arrange it step by step.
It was equivalent to him only needing to issue orders and supervise. The execution might take some time, but the difficulty was not significant.
Even if Gao Cheng didn’t understand, it wouldn’t affect the operation.
The synthesized work for the next six months was clearly divided between the two of them, and the time was also about right.
At 7:30 PM, the duty officer blew the whistle for the entire company to assemble, gathering the still-unsatisfied soldiers to the large canteen.
The mealtime was delayed by an hour precisely to wait for personnel from other companies to finish eating, leaving the entire canteen for the Steel Seventh Company.
This was the system of the large canteen; it couldn’t serve just one person.
Fortunately, the other companies eating in this canteen knew that today was a special day for the Steel Seventh Company. While envious, they were also genuinely happy from the bottom of their hearts.
After all, the Steel Seventh Company had performed magnificently in the division, bringing great honor to the 702nd Regiment.
They were all companies of the 702nd Regiment, and outwardly they were all one family. The 702nd Regiment having face in the division was also a shared honor for other companies.
They were very cooperative, finishing their meals quickly and leaving without any delay.
When the nearly hundred members of the Steel Seventh Company entered the canteen, all the dishes prepared by the cookhouse were served, and large green bottles were placed on every table.
The celebration feast belonging to the Steel Seventh Company began.
“Come, everyone, raise your wine glasses.”
The Political Instructor took the lead in raising his glass and standing up, delivering a speech to commence the evening’s feast.
“Today was originally an ordinary day, but from today onwards, it will no longer be ordinary; it will be imbued with deeper meaning…”
The Political Instructor spoke with great emotion, every word infused with feeling.
One could hear his genuine pride and excitement for the Steel Seventh Company’s grand victory in every word he spoke.
The soldiers also listened with fiery enthusiasm, feeling proud and honored to be members of the Steel Seventh Company.
Especially the new recruits who joined this year.
Originally, it would take a long time to develop feelings for such a new place, even for a heroic unit, it required time to accumulate.
But now that the Steel Seventh Company had become the strongest in the world, it made the new recruits understand what pride was.
Under the influence of this pride and excitement, the new recruits’ feelings for the Steel Seventh Company received a super boost.
Pride brought a sense of identification, identification brought a sense of belonging, belonging brought a sense of home, and a sense of home brought pride.
A perfect closed loop was formed!
Even Cheng Cai, who was “cold and ungrateful” in the original work, underwent a huge transformation at this moment.
After he got off the vehicle and was surrounded by veteran and new soldiers who treated him like a hero, he finally profoundly realized.
What was the life and pursuit of a soldier?
What was the value of being recognized, and this feeling of being recognized was truly wonderful.
Especially the feeling of being recognized later, which Cheng Cai had never experienced before, a feeling that made him infatuated and immersed.
And in this infatuation and immersion, his mentality and personality changed.
He began to have a connection with the Steel Seventh Company, making him truly consider the Steel Seventh Company as his second home from the bottom of his heart at this moment.
Instead of just treating the Steel Seventh Company as a stepping stone, as in the original drama.
This shift in mentality was very important for Cheng Cai.
The Political Instructor’s words were very vivid and moving, channeling the company’s emotions like a trickle of water, slowly flowing into the heart of every soldier.
It deepened the soldiers’ feelings for the company and gave them a deeper sense of belonging to the Steel Seventh Company, their home.
Then Gao Cheng also gave a speech. His words were completely different from the Political Instructor’s. The main point was to use this grand victory in the competition as a starting point to brainwash the soldiers, urging them to fight to the death.
Chase after honor, snatch up merit.
Rather be a competitive troublemaker than a compliant soldier who muddles through.
Gao Cheng’s leadership style was undoubtedly radical. Few company commanders dared to be as ambitious and daring as him, openly pursuing honor.
But it was precisely Gao Cheng’s direct approach that had the greatest impact on the soldiers.
It stimulated dozens of soldiers in the Steel Seventh Company, as if they had been injected with chicken blood, shouting and having a deeper pursuit of honor.
Then, while the soldiers’ morale was high, Gao Cheng also announced to everyone.
Starting tomorrow, the Steel Seventh Company would undergo synthesized reorganization, and the company would operate in a completely new mode, also representing more opportunities to perform.
Whether it’s a donkey or a horse.
We’ll see the real test then!
Although the soldiers didn’t know what synthesized formation was, they heard that there would be more opportunities to perform. Their already stimulated minds were immediately filled with renewed enthusiasm.
Their eyes blazed with fire, and their drive and initiative were fully mobilized.
“To celebrate the Steel Seventh Company’s great victory in the competition, for everyone to achieve success in the Steel Seventh Company, and for the successful implementation of the contract reorganization, let’s do it!!”
Gao Cheng raised his wine glass and shouted loudly, and all the soldiers also raised their wine glasses.
“Do it!!!”
A glass of beer, drunk in one gulp.
The “New Era” of the Steel Seventh Company thus spectacularly began.
