Chapter 23: Letter of Recommendation

The guards around Chief of Staff Yan Zhenjiang still hadn't figured out what was going on when over a hundred soldiers, clearly bearing their own badges, lunged at them fiercely, fighting three to one, fighting fiercely on the ground. All the soldiers in these guard platoons were rigorously trained professionals. Under normal circumstances, they could single-handedly take down five or six special agent company soldiers with bare hands, but now their legs and hands were tightly held, and everyone twisted and rolled on the ground, turning it into a purely physical contest. In such circumstances, how could one person possibly twist three or even four people?
Zheng Junjie walked up to Chief of Staff Yan Zhenjiang. Yan's silver hair and the commanding aura of a soldier without anger made Zheng Junjie feel that standing before him was a truly outstanding soldier! Facing such an unexpected attack, he didn't even twitch the corner of his eye, nor did he have the ease of having long seen through life and death. He simply could never have possessed the calmness of standing before Mount Tai collapsed without turning pale.
Yan Zhenjiang smiled calmly and said, "Congratulations, you have successfully captured Major General Yan Zhenjiang, Chief of Staff of the Second Artillery Unit." As your prisoner, I have a small request: I want to meet the supreme commander of your unit. ”
Faced with such a true soldier whose age could almost rival his grandfather's, even someone as fearless as Zheng Junjie felt a bit uneasy. Zheng Junjie instinctively straightened up and made a gesture inviting Yan Zhenjiang. Yan Zhenjiang nodded slightly and led the way toward the information command center.
Before entering the information command center, Yan Zhenjiang's face suddenly showed a look of disappointment. In a hidden corner, all ninety-eight officers and soldiers from the guard company—from ordinary soldiers to company commanders and company instructors—had their uniforms stripped off and tightly tied with their own belts and shoelaces. To prevent them from warning them out, the special service soldiers simply stuffed a pair of stinky socks into their mouths.
Seeing their elite special forces in such a state, what commander could remain indifferent?
Yan Zhenjiang walked into the information command center, his gaze fixed on the twenty or thirty officers standing in a penalty line, being held at the point of automatic rifles. When these officers saw Chief of Staff Yan, each of them showed extremely embarrassed expressions. The expressions on the faces of Yan Zhenjiang's two assistants were so remarkable it was almost ghostly.
Yan Zhenjiang looked at the three brigade commanders who were tightly bound and said in a deep voice, "You guys did a pretty good job." ”
Those familiar with Yan Zhenjiang can read the real pressure behind this seemingly calm sentence.
Yan Zhenjiang looked at the carefree man sitting in the semicircular observation chair, clearly the highest commander of this raid unit, and said, "You did a great job!" ”
Zhan Xiagage pointed to a chair opposite him and said, "Please have a seat!" ”
Yan Zhenjiang sat opposite Zhan Xiaoge, carefully observing her. Zhan Xiage, without hiding his strength, carefully observed this veteran soldier who radiated a righteous aura and had given him so much shock and pressure.
After staring at each other for a full three minutes, a satisfied smile slowly appeared on Yan Zhenjiang's face. He said in a deep voice, "That's right. You're qualified to be the commander of the 136th Army's special service company, and you've transformed this ragtag unit of * into an extraordinary figure with a real military aura. You truly did not disappoint me!" ”
Zhan Xiagege raised his eyebrows and said, "Oh?" ”
"There really aren't many soldiers who can remain calm in front of me!" Yan Zhenjiang pointed at the officers ordered to stand in a row and said, "Among them are my old subordinates who have followed me for ten or twenty years, outstanding engineers considered geniuses in certain fields, and some slick and seasoned figures. But when facing me, they all behave somewhat unnaturally." ”
"You may have forgotten two things!"
"First, I'm not your subordinate. Now that we're facing each other on the battlefield, I'm still your enemy!" Zhanxiage counted on his fingers and said calmly, "Second, I want to remind you to be mindful of your identity. You are indeed the chief of staff and a major general, but you are now also my prisoner!" If I feel lost when facing my own prisoners, then I might as well go back to the special service company and hide in bed watching TV. Why would I go to the battlefield looking for trouble?! ”
Yan Zhenjiang glanced meaningfully at the three missile brigade commanders whose faces were ashen, and asked, "You treat this exercise as a real war?" ”
"The reason Israeli special forces are famous worldwide is because they have continuously participated in wars and possess rich combat experience!"
Zhanxiage said, "My dad once told me that in peacetime, the military must use exercises to test combat effectiveness, identify and solve problems, and continuously improve overall combat capabilities through continuous training." But now, our exercise feels more like a runway show with a process and outcome already designed, and even a final winner has already been chosen. We spent so much money, deployed so many troops, made a big move, but in the end, we deceived ourselves. Is there any point in doing this?! ”
The war hero song gave a comment that could hardly be considered polite: "This is self-deception!" ”
Yan Zhenjiang really smiled. He stared at the big boy before him and suddenly said, "Young man, you've already caused a huge mess. After this exercise, I don't think you can stay in the 136th Army any longer." So, are you interested in joining our Second Artillery Corps? I'm an old man whose words carry weight. As long as you nod, you can immediately enter the Second Artillery Command Academy as a special recruit. After you graduate, I'll transfer you to personally guide you. ”
As soon as Zhan Xiaoge heard the words "special recruits," a chill ran through his body. He shook his head repeatedly and said, "Look carefully, I'm counting you here too. There is one major general, three colonels and brigade commanders, three colonels and section chiefs, two lieutenant colonels and section chiefs, twelve lieutenant colonel engineers, thirteen major combat staff officers, plus an entire guard company!" If I really joined the Second Artillery Corps, wouldn't I be jumping into a snake's den myself?! ”
"Besides, you're my prisoner! If I, the commander of the special service company, had been defeated and actually surrendered by you despite a great victory, not only would my brothers turn hostile on the spot, but even our army commander would be so furious that he'd roll his eyes and collapse on the spot!" "Sir, you are a respected senior figure. Even if you lose on the battlefield, you still feel unwilling, but you can't use such a scheme against a young man like me!" ”
Zhan Xiagege propped his chin and said, "Or do you think I'm the kind of motherland who, though going astray, is still a promising talent and plans to cast me into the Second Artillery Corps to rebuild me?" If that's really the case, I'll first thank you, sir. But I'm just a stubborn donkey—I can't stand any other blows or cold looks. Sir, you wouldn't want to see another hot-blooded, angry youth in the Second Artillery Army who fights every day, spending weeks in the cell and reflecting on his mistakes, right?! ”
Yan Zhenjiang stared blankly at Zhanxiage. In his life, he had never seen such a reckless and rebellious figure—who seemed carefree but who, once sensing danger and fully armed, could be so meticulous and nearly flawless in his mind.
"After this exercise incident, your name will soon spread among the army's upper echelons, and you'll be placed on the first-level blacklist of all contacts. I think from today onward, it'll be very difficult for you to establish yourself in the army."
Yan Zhenjiang patted Zhanxiage on the shoulder and said gently, "You led a miscellaneous army without formal training, and you managed to capture the information command center protected by our special operations company without alerting any surrounding units." You are the kind of outstanding talent who is not limited by your environment, possesses creative thinking, and can create miracles with just a fulcrum. I really don't want to see you forced to leave the military because of this exercise. I just want to tell you, if you really have nowhere to go and still want to keep wearing this uniform, come to Second Artillery and find me! If you like other brother units, I am willing to write you a personal recommendation letter! ”
Zhanxiage gazed at the elder with a gentle smile, feeling a warm current rise in his heart. "Then you should write me a letter of recommendation!" ”
After he led the special service company back victorious, he was directly taken to the 136th Army headquarters, in Commander Yang's office.
"I have known Principal Zheng Xun of your Fifth Special Forces Elite Training School for over fifty years. We once ate from the same pot and slept in the same dormitory as a class! As long as the people he recommended hadn't made any major mistakes, I would turn a blind eye. But this time, you've really made a big scene. ”
Commander Yang gazed at the young soldier standing tall and showing no fear on his face, and said sincerely, "In you, I saw the courage of a true soldier. Only then did I understand the true meaning behind Zheng Xun sending you into the 136th Army." At this point, if you stay in the 136th Army and continue as your special service company commander, you'll only be held back! I've already prepared a letter of recommendation for you. Go join other units, start from the grassroots, and study diligently! ”
Thus, among the war hero singers, there was a recommendation letter from Lieutenant General Zheng Xun, principal of the Fifth Special Forces Elite Training School, a recommendation letter from Major General Yan Zhenjiang, chief of staff of the Second Artillery Corps, and a recommendation letter from Lieutenant General Yang Silan, the strongest combat force in the Chinese Army, the 136th Group Army.