socalfunplaces Page 70
Page 70
It must be said that the decision made by the top leadership was of great strategic significance. Fang Zhenghua's desire to establish the DA Division was not as simple as it seemed.
There must be supporters among the top leaders, such as Elder Liu, Elder Zhao, Elder Gao, and the chief.
However, at the lower levels, such as military regions and army groups, strong support is also needed.
The decision to appoint Fang Yingda as chief of staff of the Southeast Military Region was based on this very plan.
Considering several other reasons, the DA Division is not directly under the military region, but rather placed under the A Group Army of the Southeast Military Region, stationed in Jiangdong Province. (I can't write out the specific unit number, but you can probably guess?)
The commander of the A Group Army of the Southeast Military Region was Zhong Yuannian. Another important reason why the high command placed the DA Division under the A Group Army was that Zhong Yuannian was extremely supportive of reforming the army and forming the DA Division.
Meanwhile, Zhao Mengsheng is currently serving as the deputy political commissar of Army Group A.
With the support of Fang Yingda, Zhong Yuannian, and Zhao Mengsheng, Fang Zhenhua was able to unleash his full potential and carry out sweeping reforms.
When Fang Zhenhua arrived at the military region, the people who came to pick him up at the airport were somewhat unexpected.
It was Zhong Yuannian, commander of Army Group A, and Zhao Mengsheng, deputy political commissar.
After getting off the plane, Fang Zhenhua walked quickly to Zhong Yuannian and Zhao Mengsheng.
He put down his bag and gave the two men a solemn military salute.
He was wearing a Type 87 military uniform with four silver five-pointed stars, which indicated his rank of senior colonel.
On the other side, Zhong Yuannian and Zhao Mengsheng each carried a gold star, and Zhao Mengsheng had become a major general.
"Commander Zhong, Political Commissar Zhao, and Division Commander Fang Zhenhua of the DA Division are here to report."
After Fang Zhenhua saluted, Zhong Yuannian and Zhao Mengsheng returned the salute.
Zhong Yuannian quickly extended his hand and shook hands tightly with Fang Zhenhua.
"Comrade Zhenhua, you've finally arrived! We've been waiting for you like the stars and the moon!"
"Commander, we've kept you all waiting."
"It's good that you're here. With you here, we can get a lot of work done. We're just waiting for you, the division commander, to make the decisions! Let's go to the military headquarters first. There are many of your old acquaintances there!"
Fang Zhenhua raised an eyebrow, glanced at Zhong Yuannian with some surprise, and then turned to look at Zhao Mengsheng.
Seeing Zhao Mengsheng nod made Fang Zhenhua even more eager.
Once inside the military vehicle, Zhong Yuannian specifically arranged for Fang Zhenhua and Zhao Mengsheng to sit together, knowing that the two brothers-in-law definitely had something to say to each other.
Sure enough, after getting into the military vehicle, Fang Zhenhua couldn't wait to ask.
"The commander just mentioned old acquaintances. Tell me quickly, who are these old acquaintances?"
"You should know that your DA Division is listed throughout the entire army. It is an experimental unit, and everything is very new. So, in order to cooperate with your work, the military region and the Southwest Military Region reached a consensus and transferred some comrades over."
"Brother-in-law, stop keeping me in suspense and tell me who the people are."
"There are two deputy division commanders in the DA Division. One is Comrade Liang Sanxi, and the other is Comrade Yue Jun. Comrade Liang Sanxi serves as the first deputy division commander of the DA Division and also concurrently as the division chief of staff."
"anything else?"
Since Zhao Mengsheng said he had many old comrades-in-arms, then it definitely wasn't just Liang Sanxi and Yue Jun.
"The captain of the Information Brigade of the DA Division is Comrade Kaihua. Over the years, Kaihua has taken the initiative to learn a lot about information and electronics. Now he is an expert in this field."
"Old Jin will serve as the commander of the artillery battalion of the DA Division. As for the political commissar of your division, the higher-ups have taken your special circumstances into account, so they have transferred Liu Xudong to work with you."
"This is your old comrade-in-arms. You and your unit earned the honorary title of Hero Regiment in Balihe and Dongshan."
Upon hearing Zhao Mengsheng's words, Fang Zhenhua's memory was pulled back to six years ago, to that war-torn era.
At first, Liu Xudong was somewhat resigned to his fate, but after talking with Fang Zhenhua, his fighting spirit was also aroused.
Back then, the 122nd Regiment fought against five opponents single-handedly, and Liu Xudong remained steadfastly on the front lines.
"Are there any other people? If so, tell me too."
"I knew I couldn't hide it from you. Huang Shaoan will be the commander of the armored battalion of the DA Division, while Chang Shaole will be the commander of the missile battalion."
Basically, Fang Zhenhua's old comrades-in-arms and subordinates were assigned to all the important units of the DA Division, in order to reduce unnecessary resistance during the establishment of the DA Division.
The higher-ups value Fang Zhenhua highly, and if he doesn't establish a good DA (Discipline, Ability, and Security) team, he won't be able to explain himself to any party.
So he carries a heavy burden, but over the years, he has been through thick and thin, and no matter how heavy the burden, he dares to shoulder it.
Not for any other reason than his identity.
He is a soldier, a member of the People's Liberation Army, and is destined to protect the people.
Chapter 112: The beginning is difficult, and every step is difficult!
They arrived at the headquarters of Army Group A.
Zhong Yuannian led Fang Zhenhua directly into the conference room. It was clear that many people had been waiting there for a long time, just waiting for Fang Zhenhua to appear.
When Fang Zhenhua appeared in the conference room, everyone's eyes turned to him, their expressions a mixture of surprise, excitement, relief, anticipation, and nostalgia.
Looking at the room full of colonels, senior colonels, and even a few major generals, Fang Zhenhua saluted his comrades.
"Commander Fang Zhenhua of DA Division, reporting for duty."
Upon hearing this, everyone stood up from their chairs and returned Fang Zhenhua's salute.
At this moment, Shi Yuannian patted Fang Zhenhua on the shoulder and said.
"Zhenhua, go sit down in the first seat on the left."
Seated at the very top were Zhong Yuannian, commander of Army Group A, the political commissar and deputy commander of Army Group A, and Zhao Mengsheng, deputy political commissar.
On either side sat the leading cadres of the DA Division, and opposite Fang Zhenhua was the old company commander Liang Sanxi.
Comrade Liang Sanxi looked at Fang Zhenhua with excitement. Fang Zhenhua nodded slightly and didn't say anything more.
The clock has opened its mouth in the first year.
"In order to meet the needs of future wars, the reform of our army is imperative. In order to win future informationized wars, ZYJW has decided to form a digitalized integrated combat division, abbreviated as DA division."
"You are all leaders and cadres of the DA Division. I hope that in the future, we can work together to successfully establish the first informationized combined arms division of our army, which will also serve as a role model for our army."
"As per JW's request, the DA Division will be given three years. After three years, we hope to see initial results, at which time a live-fire exercise will be conducted."
"The leadership team of the DA Division has been established, but the troops under its command have not yet been set up. This task will be handed over to the entire DA Division team."
"Furthermore, according to JW's instructions, the Southeast Military Region will provide full assistance to the DA Division in terms of the troops it needs. Of course, if you need personnel from other military regions, the leaders of those regions will also help you. However, whether they will release the personnel is another matter."
Zhong Yuannian made a timely joke, which made all the comrades smile and eased the atmosphere.
After Zhong Yuannian finished speaking, he added one last sentence.
"Next, please welcome Comrade Fang Zhenhua, the commander of the DA Division, to give a speech."
Thunderous applause erupted in the conference room. Fang Zhenhua looked at everyone and remained silent for a long while.
Just when his comrades were all a little confused, Fang Zhenhua finally spoke.
"Many of those present are my old comrades-in-arms from back then, such as Comrade Liang Sanxi and Comrade Jin Kailai. We fought together in the battles in southern Xinjiang."
"Comrades Liu Xudong, Yue Jun, Lei Kaihua, Huang Xing'an, and Chang Shaole, we fought together in the Battle of the Two Mountains. In the East Mountain of Balihe, my regiment wiped out five regiments of the Vietnamese army."
"But comrades, times have changed. It is no longer the era of mechanized warfare and human wave tactics. The new era is extremely challenging for us soldiers."
"Informatization and digitalization present many challenges for our generation of soldiers. I can tell you very clearly that if anyone falls behind the times, I will ask you to leave the DA Division, no matter how reluctant I am."
"The DA Division is a seed unit, the hope of our entire army. All of you here are not only my old comrades-in-arms, but also leaders and cadres of the DA Division, so I'm putting the unpleasant truths first."
"If you don't know something, you have to learn it. If you don't know something, you have to learn it. You might even have to find a way to learn it abroad. You can't just work behind closed doors."
"Comrades, the Party and the country have entrusted us with this important task. We cannot fail the choice of the times. We must always remember that behind us are 1.1 billion people."
“If we soldiers cannot shoulder the heavy responsibility of national defense, then the people behind us will have no one to rely on.”
"I am very grateful and honored to be able to reunite with everyone and work together again. I, Fang Zhenhua, am confident that I can lead the DA instructors well, and I hope that everyone can cooperate with me."
As soon as he finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted once again in the conference room.
The leadership of the DA Division was very well selected. All of them had combat experience and had fought their way up from the battlefield. They were true, pure soldiers.
Therefore, they did not find Fang Zhenhua's words offensive; on the contrary, they thought they were thought-provoking enough.
After Fang Zhenhua finished speaking, Zhong Yuannian continued, saying with a look of satisfaction.
"Commander Fang's words make a lot of sense. Our army must not lag behind the world; it must become a powerful army capable of protecting the people."
"Comrade Zhenhua, is there anything else you need that the military can help you with?"
After thinking for a moment, Fang Zhenhua then spoke to Zhong Yuannian.
"Commander, I plan to familiarize myself with the work at hand and report back to you after I have sorted things out."
Zhong Yuannian nodded.
The DA Division naturally has its own base. After the meeting at the military headquarters, the leaders and cadres of the DA Division returned to the division headquarters in military vehicles.
There are some things that are difficult to discuss within the military, but once we get back to the division, things will be much easier to talk about.
Upon arriving at the division headquarters' conference room, everyone immediately relaxed and began catching up.
The first person to approach Fang Zhenhua was Liu Xudong, the political commissar of the DA division.
Fang Zhenhua was genuinely surprised to see his former partner.
"Old Liu, I never thought we'd be working together one day."
"Haha, I'm here to assist you this time. Don't worry! I'll handle all the political work in the division for you and won't leave you any trouble."
Fang Zhenhua patted Liu Xudong's shoulder forcefully, everything was understood without words.
War can greatly change a person, and Liu Xudong had clearly undergone a baptism of fire.
After Liu Xudong, Yue Jun and Lei Kaihua chatted with Fang Zhenhua.
In 84, Lei Kaihua was already a deputy regimental-level cadre. His family was not without connections either; Lei Zhen is now the commander of the Southwest Military Region.
Therefore, in principle, Lei Kaihua should now be a deputy division-level cadre, just like Yue Jun.
However, in 87, Lei Kaihua went to study at the National University of Defense Technology, where he majored in Electronic Technology.
Now that he has mastered his skills, it is time for him to make a name for himself.
Don't underestimate him as the captain of the information brigade. It can be said that Lei Kaihua has the best prospects in the entire DA Division because he is a technical talent, which is the most scarce in the army.
After Yue Jun and Lei Kaihua finished talking, Huang Xing'an and Chang Shaole came over.
Finally, it was Liang Sanxi and Jin Kailai's turn.
Fang Zhenhua met Liang Sanxi once three years ago, but he hadn't seen Jin Kailai for many years.
Chapter 113 The First Division Party Committee Meeting
Upon seeing Jin Kailai, Fang Zhenhua couldn't help but hug him.
This former platoon leader was his mentor in his military career.
Regardless of how much influence he played on Fang Zhenhua, at least one thing is certain: if Jin Kailai hadn't supported him in leading the elite platoon, Fang Zhenhua would have had a very difficult time getting that opportunity.
Without that opportunity, it would have been difficult for him to distinguish himself in the military.
"Platoon leader, it's been a long time!"
"Long time no see. You've become quite something now, Master. Becoming a general is just around the corner."
Liang Sanxi nudged Jin Kailai from the side.
"Old Jin, whether or not someone can become a general is a matter for the higher-ups to consider. We can't just talk nonsense about it."
"I say, Comrade Liang Sanxi, you should be the political commissar."
Everyone present burst into laughter. After the laughter subsided, Fang Zhenhua spoke.
"Alright, since everyone is here, I suggest that our division's Party Committee hold a formal meeting to finalize some future work arrangements."
As the political commissar of the DA Division, Liu Xudong took the lead in speaking.
"I agree with the teacher's opinion."
"I agree."
"Me too."