Chapter 836: The Final Leave Request Before the Conclusion

The final leave request before the conclusion.

Director Ge is getting on in years, and his energy and stamina are not what they used to be.

After seeing Hong Feng off in the afternoon, he truly couldn't hold on any longer; he climbed off the levee, changed into clean clothes, and crawled into the Cherokee allocated to the Linghai Reserve Battalion by the Binjiang Reserve Regiment to rest.

When he woke up, it was already eight o'clock in the evening, and he had been woken up by Reporter Wang and other friends involved in news publicity.

News reporting values timeliness.

They had just personally experienced the long-distance maneuver and the critical danger of guarding the Laomiao Sluice, and had used their lenses and pens to record the shocking scene of thousands of soldiers and civilians working as one to fight the flood peak; naturally, they wanted to get the news out as soon as possible.

Reporter Wang and the reporter from the Linghai Daily both brought a Fax Machine and a Text Transmitter; they only needed a landline capable of making long-distance calls to send back photos and written reports.

There were no public telephones on the levee, so they needed the battalion to arrange a vehicle to take them to find a phone.

Old Ge did not agree immediately, using the excuse of first going to inquire whether the road to the nearest Town was easy to travel, and asked his friends in the news and publicity circle who were anxious to publish the news to return to the tent and wait for a moment.

Reporter Wang did not want to cause him trouble, so he took everyone back to the tent first.

Old Ge did not go to inquire about road conditions, but instead found Staff Officer Dai, who was busy.

Staff Officer Dai was indeed very busy; he and his Picketing Team not only had to manage the military appearance and discipline of the entire battalion, but also had to assist logistics support units in their work. They even had to carry out guard duties to ensure the safety of the battalion's equipment and supplies.

What needed to be done now was to assist the water supply and health and epidemic prevention detachment in providing clean drinking water to all officers and soldiers of the battalion, urging the exhausted officers and soldiers who didn't want to move to bathe and change clothes, and to hurry to wash the dirty clothes that had been taken off and hang them outside to dry.

At the same time, they had to carry a Sprayer for pesticides on their backs to assist health and epidemic prevention personnel in disinfecting the camp area.

The river water during the flood was very dirty; one didn't know how many toilets had been submerged, nor how many animal carcasses had been soaking in the water, which meant there were many viruses and bacteria in the floodwater; plus, this area was a schistosomiasis region, so it was mandatory to drink clean water, maintain personal hygiene, and disinfect the camp area.

In fact, many people had already been infected.

For example, Xu Mingyuan and others who had jumped into the river in the morning to secure the Geodetic Cloth had developed many red bumps on their bodies due to an allergy to the river water; it was very itchy and uncomfortable, and they had scratched until their skin broke, with some having bloodstains on their clothes and others having bruises on their bodies.

As for clean water, the Changhang Logistics Support Group helped solve that.

The Changhang Jingzhou Branch borrowed two fire trucks specifically for carrying water from the Jingzhou Fire Detachment and brought over ten tons of clean tap water.

Zhang Erxiao, who was responsible for logistics support in the battalion, borrowed a van from the Jingzhou Port Supervision Bureau, removed the back two rows of seats, and installed four large-capacity Stainless Steel Electric Water Heaters inside the vehicle.

The communication and power support detachment brought two sets of Diesel Generator Sets, and the shipping container transported from their hometown was now a power generation room and power distribution room, so there was no need to worry about the water heaters running out of power.

However, the water pressure from connecting the hose to the fire department's water tanker was not very stable, and considering electrical safety, the Picketing Team had to arrange for someone to serve as the "Tea Master," guarding the van and taking responsibility for boiling water...

Old Ge walked up and called Staff Officer Dai, who was busy to the point of being overwhelmed, to the side, and asked with a smile: "Little Dai, have you called your regiment leaders to report on your work?"

"No."

Staff Officer Dai hesitated for a moment and said with an embarrassed expression: "Director Ge, I don't have a mobile phone, and our regiment doesn't allow the use of mobile phones."

Old Ge took out a cigarette, handed him one, and asked: "Does your regiment commander have one?"

"The regiment commander has one."

"Do you know your regiment commander's mobile phone number?"

"I do."

Old Ge leaned in to the lighter Staff Officer Dai had just lit to light his cigarette, and after waiting for Staff Officer Dai to light his own, he took out his mobile phone and handed it over: "You've been out for almost two days now; your regiment commander must be very worried. Hurry up and call your regiment commander to report that you are safe."

Staff Officer Dai felt that Director Ge was the best leader in the world, and after taking the phone, he said: "Director Ge, your phone is roaming while calling from Beihu, the phone bill is so expensive, plus the roaming charges..."

"It doesn't matter, this is for work."

"Thank you, Director Ge."

"No need to thank me, hurry up and call. Report our situation here to your regiment commander and political commissar. After you finish reporting, I also need to check in and send my regards to your regiment commander and political commissar."

"Alright, then I'll call?"

"Call."

Staff Officer Dai did not dare to delay the scholar-leader's time and hurriedly dialed.

The call went through quickly, and upon hearing the regiment commander's familiar loud voice, he hurriedly began to report the situation of the Linghai Reserve Battalion.

Regiment Commander Peng was taken aback and asked with skepticism: "You have that much equipment? And large excavators and loaders?"

"Yes, they are a professional flood control and emergency rescue team. The order for the task of guarding the major danger at the Laomiao Sluice was issued directly by the leaders of the Greater Military Region. They are now the emergency rescue force of the Yangtze River Flood Control Headquarters in Jingzhou, mainly responsible for guarding against major dangers!"

"The Greater Military Region leaders issued the order directly? Then why let us take over management?"

"The Greater Military Region leaders only issue orders upon the request of local flood control departments; they cannot manage the specific work."

"Understood, so they are just affiliated with our division, and the division let them be affiliated with my regiment?"

"Not just affiliated; they are very enthusiastic and very welcoming of the regiment's arrangement for me to come over. Regiment Commander, why don't I let Director Ge speak with you? Director Ge is the former director of the Linghai Transportation Bureau and is a Professor-level Senior Engineer. Mayor Chen needs to communicate and coordinate with local party and government leaders, and Battalion Commander Han Yu needs to command the rescue; they are both too busy. The daily management and logistics support of the battalion are all the responsibility of Director Ge."

What is the concept of a Professor-level Senior Engineer? Those are the professional technical masters of every industry!

Regiment Commander Peng had never met one, only heard of them, and hurriedly said: "Good, good, good, please have Director Ge take the phone."

The young man had a very high opinion of the Linghai Reserve Battalion, and especially when introducing his own identity, it could be said to be respect from the bottom of his heart.

Old Ge was very happy and satisfied, feeling that the young man was worth cultivating, and took the phone, saying enthusiastically: "Regiment Commander Peng, hello! I am Ge Weidong of the expert group of the Linghai Reserve Battalion. Your regiment is our superior unit, and you are our superior leader. By rights, we should have gone to report to you the first moment we arrived, but we received orders on the way to Beihu..."

Not to mention that he was a Professor-level Senior Engineer, even just being a county-level city transportation bureau director was very impressive, not to mention that the task he was currently executing was directly arranged by the Greater Military Region leaders.

Regiment Commander Peng did not dare to put on airs and hurriedly said: "Director Ge, you are a senior, please don't make fun of me. You are well-equipped and more professional than us in flood control and emergency rescue. It is the honor of our Regiment to be able to cooperate with you."

"Regiment Commander Peng, you can't say it like that. How could we be cooperating? The Party commanding the gun is the fundamental principle of the construction of the People's Army! The superior ordered us to accept the command of the Regiment and cooperate with the Regiment to execute rescue tasks, so we must resolutely accept the leadership of you and Political Commissar Yang."

Old Ge threw away his cigarette butt and emphasized: "On this issue, not only is my attitude clear, but the attitudes of our Mayor Chen and Battalion Commander Han Yu are also very clear. Mayor Chen was still saying on the levee at noon that once we resist the second flood peak, he will go with Battalion Commander Han to report to you!"

If someone gives you face, you cannot be unappreciative.

Regiment Commander Peng hurriedly said: "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare. Director Ge, listen to me, our regiment is only temporarily managing your battalion. In terms of flood control and emergency rescue, you are indeed more professional than us, and your equipment is countless times better than ours. We are cooperating with you; if we can't hold on here, we will need to ask for your support!"

It seems this regiment commander is also not bad.

Old Ge was very happy and smiled: "Support is not the word, Regiment Commander Peng. If there is anything in the regiment, or if there are any difficulties in logistics support, you can call me directly. This is my number."

"Thank you, Director Ge."

"No need to thank me, this is as it should be."

Having a temporary subordinate unit with strong combat effectiveness and excellent equipment is not bad; at least one can ask for help when encountering something.

Regiment Commander Peng looked up and met the eyes of the political commissar who was delivering food to the levee, and smiled: "Director Ge, if the battalion needs the regiment to do anything, just speak up. As long as it is something we can do, we will certainly do it well."

"Regimental Commander Peng, you have already helped us a great deal. The little Dai you arranged is very good; he is very capable, very serious about his work, and very responsible. Our Mayor Chen just praised him this afternoon."

"Is that so?"

"We are going to transfer in a few hours, and as for where we are going, we don't know for now. Anyway, when we are not busy, Battalion Commander Han and I will go with Mayor Chen to report to you and Political Commissar Yang. If you don't believe me, you can ask our Mayor Chen then."

"Little Dai is indeed very good; he is one of the most capable cadres in our regiment."

"Thank you, Regimental Commander Peng, for sending us such elite soldiers and strong generals. We all support his work and have specifically selected active-duty officers and soldiers to form a Picketing Team, which is under Little Dai's leadership. Mayor Chen and our Linghai Armed Forces Department's Director Li were worried that the reserve officers might not obey, so they specifically took the time to send him to his post and introduce him to all the cadres at the detachment level and above in the battalion."

Bureau Chief Ge was simply as good as could be; it was a pity he was only a temporary superior. If only he were a regimental leader...

Staff Officer Dai felt his blood boiling as he listened, so excited that he was at a loss for what to do.

Old Ge reached out his left hand to pat his arm and continued: "Don't look at it as him taking up the post single-handedly; he has many tasks and a lot of work pressure ahead. He completed his first task brilliantly, helping the battalion strengthen confidentiality discipline. Next, he must assist the battalion in strictly implementing the system for requesting leave and reporting back, and organize all the battalion's officers and soldiers to study the regulations and orders during their spare time."

His subordinate was very capable, and with such high praise from others, Regimental Commander Peng was equally happy and couldn't help but laugh: "Bureau Chief Ge, the Political Commissar and I must also thank you!"

"Thank me for what?"

"Thank you, Mayor Chen, and Director Li for your support of Little Dai's work. Your support for Little Dai is equivalent to supporting the work of our regiment. I'm not afraid of you laughing at me, but at the beginning, the Political Commissar and I were really a bit worried. After all, reserve forces are not quite the same as active-duty forces."

"No need to worry. When you and Political Commissar Yang have time to come and see, you will know that Little Dai's prestige has already been established. He represents the regiment; if he has prestige, it means the regiment has prestige."

"Thank you, thank you, Bureau Chief Ge."

"Regimental Commander Peng, we are one family now, and phone bills aren't cheap, so let's skip the polite talk. In terms of military management, especially news propaganda, we have encountered two situations."

"What situations?"

"First is the unit designation. Our official designation is the Linghai Reserve Battalion of the Binjiang Reserve Regiment of the Jiangnan Provincial Military District Army. Considering that saying 'reserve' three times in a row is a mouthful and sounds confusing..."

Old Ge paused and continued: "And as for our Linghai City, it is already equivalent to a planned-separate county-level city in Jiangnan Province, managed by the province but under the temporary administration of Binjiang City, so we usually abbreviate it as the Linghai Reserve Battalion of the Jiangnan Provincial Military District by convention."

Regimental Commander Peng pondered: "I know about this situation. Engineer Xi and Engineer Yao told me when they came."

"The problem now is that the Jiangnan Provincial Party Committee, the Provincial Government, and the Provincial Military District issued a notice this year requiring every prefecture-level city to form a flood control and emergency rescue mobile assault battalion. Don't look at us as a reserve force; we have a fine tradition. Our battalion's predecessor was a unit with glorious battle achievements. We inherited the two honorary titles of 'Assault Hero Battalion' and 'Red Sharp Knife Company,' so our superiors handed the flood control and emergency rescue task to us."

"You have two honorary titles?"

"Not only does the unit have honorary titles, but individuals do as well. Battalion Commander Han Yu was not only awarded a First Class Merit by the General Political Department but was also named a Second-Class Hero Model of the National Public Security System by the Ministry of Public Security."

"Bureau Chief Ge, we must learn from you!"

"Regimental Commander Peng, what you said makes me feel embarrassed. Let us learn from each other and make progress together."

Old Ge smiled and continued: "The problem now is that when the superiors decided to transfer us to Beihu for flood fighting, they might have been too hurried, or they might have only been thinking about the flood control and emergency rescue mobile assault, and didn't ask about our official designation first, so they just let us come under the name of the Binjiang Flood Control and Emergency Rescue Battalion."

Regimental Commander Peng reacted and said with deep conviction: "You are a hero unit; honor is more important than anything. You cannot carry out tasks under the name of the Binjiang Flood Control and Emergency Rescue Battalion, which is neither fish nor fowl."

"Putting honor aside, the flood is almost overflowing the river embankment. We can't worry about those things now. The main thing is that using the name Binjiang Flood Control and Emergency Rescue Battalion will cause command Chaos! All the officers and soldiers in the battalion only know the Linghai Reserve Battalion; they have never heard of any Binjiang Flood Control and Emergency Rescue Battalion, and they were all confused when they received the order."

"Bureau Chief Ge, are you saying whether we can report this situation to the superiors and see if they can clarify it?"

"Yes, yes, that is exactly what I mean. I don't know if it's convenient for the regiment?"

"What's inconvenient about that? How about this: you have Little Dai write a situation explanation, and I will help you submit it to the division later. The designation is directly related to military command; the division will definitely take it seriously and will certainly report it to the army."

"Thank you so much, Regimental Commander Peng. You really helped us a great deal."

"It's not really helping; actually, this is also the work of our regiment."

A mere lift of a finger; it really couldn't be counted as trouble.

Regimental Commander Peng smiled and asked: "Bureau Chief Ge, you just said you encountered two situations. What is the other one?"

Old Ge turned to look at the tent of the news propaganda group not far away and said: "The other is that when we set off, local media arranged for several reporters to come with us. Regimental Commander Peng, you know the situation of reserve forces; we really dare not offend those uncrowned kings."

"Bureau Chief Ge, what do they want?"

"They don't really want anything; they just want to publish the news about our battalion quickly. Theoretically, it's a good thing to help us with propaganda, but we are not ordinary citizens now; we are part of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, carrying out the rescue task assigned by our superiors under your and Political Commissar Yang's leadership."

Old Ge cleared his throat and said very seriously: "In Linghai or Binjiang, it doesn't matter how they publicize it. Even if they violate confidentiality and propaganda discipline, the superiors will only look for the Provincial Military District and the Binjiang Military Sub-district. But it's different now. If they leak military secrets, not only will we be in big trouble, but it will even implicate the regiment and the division."

It's not that just anyone who wants to interview the troops can do so, nor can just anything written be published!

Regimental Commander Peng felt that the old bureau chief of the Linghai Transportation Bureau had considered everything very comprehensively, and hurriedly said: "Bureau Chief Ge, the Political Commissar is right beside me. In this regard, the Political Commissar knows more than I do. Why don't we let our Political Commissar talk to you?"

"Okay, that's great."

"Hello, Bureau Chief Ge, my surname is Yang..."

"Hello, Political Commissar Yang, hello. Little Dai introduced you to me and said that your political level is high. We are in urgent need of your guidance in terms of news propaganda."

"Guidance is not the word, but there are a few points that must be made clear."

"You speak, I'm taking notes."

"First, the unit designation cannot be leaked. For example, when it involves our regiment, you can only mention a certain regiment of the Air Force. Considering that the situation of reserve forces is not quite the same as active-duty forces, you must control and deliberate on unit names."

"Good, please continue."

"Second, you must make it clear to all officers and soldiers that there is discipline in propaganda, and they are not allowed to accept interviews from media reporters without permission. Some units have many officers and soldiers who like to write articles; they are also not allowed to submit contributions to the PLA Daily or Air Force Daily and other media without permission..."

I understand all of this; when I was a bureau chief, I had over a dozen military-to-civilian transferred cadres under me.

Old Ge only needed authorization regarding news censorship, nodding repeatedly in agreement. After Political Commissar Yang finished his instructions, he said very seriously: "Please rest assured, Political Commissar. Next, I will work with Little Dai to grasp the implementation of propaganda discipline as an important task. If any problems arise, I will take full responsibility!"

The consciousness of an old comrade is truly high...

Political Commissar Yang was filled with respect and hurriedly said: "Bureau Chief Ge, I'm not afraid of you laughing at me, but I wouldn't have even thought of these things if you hadn't mentioned them. There are also several reporters who want to interview us today. In terms of the scale of propaganda, I also need to ask for instructions and report to my superiors."

"It's not that you couldn't think of it, it's just that you don't understand the situation on our side."

"That's true. The Regimental Commander and I previously knew you were the 'Hong Kong Garrison.' If it weren't for Little Dai making this call, we really wouldn't know your situation."

"Then, in terms of news propaganda, I will first control it based on past experience. When the superiors' precautions and propaganda guidelines regarding news propaganda come down, shall we implement them according to the latest requirements?"

"Okay, let's do that. This will trouble you."

"It's no trouble. What we need to do now is not to find trouble for ourselves, and even more so, not to add trouble to the regiment and the division."