From the 7th Steel Company to the Synthetic Division

"Not taking the land route? What do you mean?"

Wang Kezheng didn't react for a moment and looked at Lao Fang with a puzzled expression.

"How about we take the waterway?" Old Fang said.

"Commander Wang."

Engineer Li then explained, "What Mr. Fang means is that we will ship a small portion, or most of it, by ship, and we will put the remaining small portion in containers and disguise it to travel on the highway."

I've measured the dimensions of all your vehicles. Some of them are about the same size and will fit perfectly in the container. How does this arrangement look to you?

“Okay, I think this idea works. Do you have any connections?” Wang Kezheng asked excitedly.

Since the road was impassable, they had no choice but to travel by water.

“I have a friend who specializes in shipping. He owns two 10,000-ton roll-on/roll-off ships. He usually transports imported cars or does some construction machinery.”

As soon as his ship docks, we'll load the tanks and armored vehicles onto the ship, transport them by water to Chenghai Port, and then transfer them by truck to a warehouse for safekeeping. What do you think?

After Lao Fang gave a general explanation of the transportation process, Wang Kezheng felt that things were going very well and excitedly said, "Great, that's fantastic, this will definitely work."

But no sooner had he finished speaking than he changed his mind and said, "No, no, no, that's not good either."

"Huh? What's wrong?" Old Fang asked, puzzled.

“If you let your friend do all the work, won’t you earn less money?” Wang Kezheng said.

"Hey~"

Old Fang said speechlessly, "Brigade Commander Wang, Old Zhang, have you heard me mention the word 'money' even once during all this time I've been here? No, right?"

"If you think highly of me, an old soldier, I'll cover all the water and land transportation for you. We can settle the payment after this big thing is done, how about that?"

Old Fang spoke very frankly, but Old Zhang didn't give him any face at all, and said in a deep voice, "Don't pretend to be righteous. The army isn't short of money, and it won't cheat us ordinary people."

"Old Zhang, I'm really not pretending to be righteous."

The old man explained with a serious expression, "Didn't Commander Wang just say that he wants me to be the head of the logistics department? I'm a soldier now, why would I ask for money when I'm working for myself? Haha."

Everyone laughed when they heard Lao Fang's explanation.

That makes perfect sense!
Taking advantage of the pleasant atmosphere, Wang Kezheng said in a very formal tone: "I hereby appoint you as the head of the logistics department of the 708th Brigade."

"Go back and shave your mustache, get a stylish haircut, and I'll get you a military uniform tomorrow. You can wear it to officially take up your post then."

Hearing that he would be issued military uniforms, Lao Fang was overjoyed.

He looked regretful, stroking his thick beard and saying reluctantly, "This is such a waste of my beautiful beard from the past year. Could you please give me a new rank so I can finally fulfill my dream from back then?"

Having a military uniform but lacking a rank insignia definitely makes it less appealing.

Wang Kezheng thought that since the other party had done such a big favor and it was only a temporary role, he wasn't stingy and readily agreed, "The head of the logistics department is a regimental commander, so how about I give you the rank of colonel? The term is one month."

"Hahaha."

Old Fang laughed excitedly, "I'm usually just a reserve officer, and now I've been promoted to colonel? This feels so awesome!"

Seeing his boss take off, Li, who was standing next to him, was itching to join in and couldn't help but flatter him, saying, "Commander Wang, can you take me with you? I can have one too."

"Haha, okay, what do you want?" Wang Kezheng asked with a loud laugh.

"I've dreamed of being a soldier my whole life. Mr. Fang can serve for a month, can I serve for five days? Just five days," Engineer Li pleaded excitedly.

As the boss, Lao Fang couldn't say anything, so he could only smile and remain silent.

Wang Kezheng himself did not want to give out any more slots, even if it was just a temporary one, but after all, he was a soldier, and not just anyone could become one.

"Engineer Li is the vice president of Mr. Fang's company. He has worked hard with Mr. Fang for more than ten years. It hasn't been easy for him. Don't you think so?"

As the middleman who brought them together, it was appropriate for Lao Zhang to speak up at this time, and he didn't explicitly ask for anything, but just offered a suggestion.

"Then how about this, Engineer Li, you'll be Director Fang's assistant, a major section chief."

Wang Qingrui had a clear understanding of the situation. Giving one temporary identity was the same as giving two, so he might as well just give his underling a school officer position as well.

If you can keep the CEO and vice president happy, they'll definitely be more motivated to get things done.

This is definitely a good thing for the exercise.

"Thank you, Commander Wang. I guarantee I will complete the mission. I salute you, Commander." Engineer Li was surprised to actually be assigned a task and excitedly gave a crooked salute.

A salute even worse than that of a Young Pioneer.

"Alright, alright."

Old Fang pulled Li Gong's salute away and said, "What kind of salute is that? It's all crooked and messy. Brigade Commander Wang, find a soldier to teach him how to salute properly. He's already a major, he can't embarrass us soldiers."

"I think I need to go to the recruit training camp, haha," Li joked to himself.

Everyone laughed.

"Old Zhang, here's what we'll do: organize the veterans of the 708th Brigade's Chenghai Friendship Association into an inside agent team. They won't work for free; those who participate in the exercise will receive a combat allowance of one hundred yuan per day."

Wang Kezheng decided to go all out and make the most of the veterans' strength.

"Brigade Commander Wang, money doesn't matter. Look, Lao Fang and the others have military uniforms and uniforms. Could you get us a set of military uniforms to wear too?"

Old Zhang chuckled and moved closer, his eyes filled with undisguised envy and longing.

"You want some too?" Wang Kezheng chuckled.

"Stop, Lao Zhang, there are limited spots available, so don't just come here and try to squeeze in," Lao Fang hurriedly advised.

"Yeah, what are you trying to steal? I just joined the army, don't ruin it for me." Engineer Li was even more agitated.

"No, you're all wearing them..."

"Alright, alright."

Old Zhang wanted to try again, but Old Fang interrupted him, saying, "Commander Wang, I think we should write up a contract first."

"What do you mean? Are you afraid I'll renege on my debt?" Wang Kezheng said speechlessly.

“Even close brothers should keep clear accounts. The cost of this water and land transport is not low. We can’t do a losing business. Let’s write down a few things in black and white. There’s one thing that must be written down.” Old Fang said righteously, “If you win this battle in Chenghai, our company will not take a penny. Consider it my contribution to protecting the country.”

However, if you fail to capture Chenghai and lose, then sorry, the agreed-upon fee will be charged as normal business for our company. How about that?

Old Fang's suggestion was very thoughtful; he's truly a considerate person.

"I'll make a fortune on this deal, but it wouldn't be right not to take a penny." Wang Kezheng was full of confidence, certain that he could break in.

“Brigade Commander Wang, if I hadn’t served in the army before and had a connection to the military, I would never have taken this job. Besides, we business people have our own rules, which is a reward and punishment system. I’ve listed this for you to motivate you to win battles. Only when you win battles will I, the head of the logistics department, have something to be proud of,” Old Fang said.

"Haha, the military and civilians working together to overcome difficulties, this is what we call a people's war in the new era."

Wang Kezheng laughed and said readily, "You can sign the contract with Political Commissar He, but our unit is currently engaged in socialized services."

I think your long-distance transportation business could be combined with our military's long-distance maneuver training and relocation. How about we establish a long-term partnership in the future?

Organizing an exercise requires the transportation of a large amount of materials, especially those of the scale of aluminum.

If we can reach a cooperation agreement with a transportation company, we can call them when we need to use their services, and when we don't need to use them, we don't have to worry about it at all.

Compared to constantly maintaining a transport fleet, it can indeed save a lot of military spending.

For transportation companies that make money from transportation, which already travel all over the country, getting a stable long-term contract without any additional investment is also a good thing.

Both sides can benefit from it, a perfect double win.

"What the brigade commander said makes sense."

"There's a chance, haha."

Both Engineer Li and Lao Fang laughed; they were very happy to be able to cooperate with the military for a long time.

"I've given you the order from the Logistics Department Chief. From today onwards, you are the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of my headquarters. So the key to this battle is not fighting, but doing it well," Wang Kezheng earnestly instructed Lao Fang.

"What do you mean by 'in the process'?" Old Fang didn't understand.

"you think……"

Wang Kezheng explained: "A heavily equipped brigade, making a long-distance maneuver of more than a thousand kilometers, and then infiltrating into the city, is something no one would expect, so the key lies in the execution."

However, a successful attack can only achieve a surprising victory through skillful maneuvering and a successful entry into the fray.

The key to winning this urban battle lies in its element of surprise, catching the enemy off guard and leaving them no time to react, understand?

Wang Kezheng's explanation was already very detailed, but Lao Fang was still a little worried and said, "Isn't it a bit risky for us to do this? What if we get discovered? Wouldn't these dozens of armored vehicles be like easy prey delivered right to our doorstep?"

Transporting dozens of armored vehicles and tanks by ship would certainly not allow them to enter combat readiness.

Once discovered by the enemy defending the city, they can easily take down all these tanks; it's practically like giving them away for free.

"You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub. Fighting a war is not as easy as getting a foot massage or taking a bath. Without unconventional thinking and a spirit of adventure, don't even think about winning."

Inspired by Chen Jun's combat philosophy, Wang Kezheng's growth and progress were indeed very rapid.

The shift from a methodical and steady approach to today's aggressive and risky tactics is a complete 180-degree change that is hard to imagine.

Old Fang was stunned by Wang Kezheng's boldness and didn't know what to say.

"Alright, how to win is my business, and your full cooperation and support is your business. If there are any problems with transportation and delivery, not only will I not give you a penny, but I will also send you to a military court to be questioned."

Wang Kezheng's words were clearly a joke, and everyone laughed.

"Okay, I guarantee I'll complete the task."

At this moment, Lao Fang's enthusiasm was fully mobilized, and he straightened his back and gave a standard military salute.

Even after being a boss for so many years, no matter how straight his posture is, his protruding beer belly is still very noticeable.

"Brigade Commander, the Political Commissar wants you to go back immediately to the command post to observe the exercise," Staff Officer Jin said as he ran over.

"Has the fight started?" Wang Kezheng asked.

"We've been waiting in front of the screen all morning, but there's been no movement on the sea. The Red Army only shot down two Blue Army drones, and there haven't been any other contacts between the two sides. We still don't know why," Staff Officer Jin replied.

"This is interesting," Wang Kezheng said thoughtfully.

"The most interesting part is yet to come, Engineer Li, hurry up and prepare as Commander Wang instructed," Old Fang said with a smile.

“That’s right. The show we’ve prepared is sure to give them a run for their money.” Wang Kezheng laughed, and the matter was settled.

……

909th Brigade Command Post.

"Reporting to the Commander-in-Chief, satellite reconnaissance has revealed that the command boat carrying Chen Jun has returned to the Army Shipyard Dock," a staff officer reported as he ran up.

"Why did you go back? Were you too scared to come back?" Chu Zhangang asked.

"It's still unclear. The Blue Army ships that were originally assembled in the Fifth Sea Area have returned to their respective bases. Also, Chen Jun did not deploy any naval warships this time, but instead traveled on transport ships. I wonder if he is trying to mislead us," the staff officer reported later.

"Chen Jun has a lot of tricks up his sleeve. We just need to strengthen our defenses, and there shouldn't be any problems," Ding Kai said confidently.

"I suspect they're planning a nighttime attack. There will be a high tide at 9 PM tonight, and it's very likely the Blue Team will use that to launch a surprise attack," Zhu Rongsheng analyzed.

"The tide will rise at 9 p.m. and recede at 10:30 p.m. If the Blue Army wants to launch a surprise attack at sea, this is indeed the easiest time to succeed. However, this is just my personal speculation, and I cannot be certain of the outcome," Ding Kai agreed.

"The Blue Army might take advantage of the high tide to launch an attack in multiple groups of small boats. After occupying the shore positions, they would wait for the tide to recede before launching a strong assault by landing the majority of their forces. Therefore, preventative measures are essential," Zhu Rongsheng reiterated.

"All radars should be on high alert tonight to search the sea surface. Report any developments to me immediately."

Chu Zhangang chose to err on the side of caution and, after listening to the analysis of Zhu Rongsheng and Ding Kai, decisively issued the latest order.

At this moment, the 909th Brigade was on high alert, while the Steel 7th Brigade on the other side was also ready for battle.

All the leaders of the brigade's six major centers gathered in the operations conference room. Even during lunchtime, they ate their meals in the command room with their lunchboxes, ready to hold meetings and take action at any time.

Hong Yi, the deputy chief of staff who had proposed ground reconnaissance from the command ship that morning and received Chen Jun's approval, was now standing directly in front of the conference room, explaining the next course of action.

Whether or not the Red Army's long-range artillery units can be wiped out depends on this special ground reconnaissance mission commanded by Hong Yi.

Everyone took it very seriously, their eyes all focused on Hong Yi. (End of Chapter)