Chapter 343: The Splendor of the Artillery Group

"Dengdengdeng..."

Liu Zhiye focused on the document in his hand. Without even raising his head, he uttered a word briefly and forcefully: "Go!" His eyes were fixed on the words. This was a training summary report. He needed to consider it carefully before submitting it to the headquarters.

Hua Hongxing, an officer from the Political Department's Secretariat, knocked on the door and strode in. As Chief of Staff Liu Zhiye's exclusive service staff, he was responsible for handling all of the Chief of Staff's daily affairs.

"Chief! It's 8.45: now. You should go to the meeting."

Liu Zhiye nodded quickly and said to Hua Hongxing, "Wait a moment, I'll take a look at the meeting report first."

"Yes! Chief!" Hua Hongxing saluted and then stepped out.

Liu Zhiye's eyes moved slightly, and he glanced at Hua Hongxing's back, nodding secretly in his heart, thinking that this person could still be used. If he was not to his liking, it would not be too late to change him.

At present, there are no full-time secretaries at the division-level leadership of the military. Only leaders at the army level and above have them, and the secretarial work is handled by the Secretariat of the Political Department.

The head of the division's secret group section is Zheng Weiguo, a deputy regimental cadre with a military rank of lieutenant colonel. The younger cadres in the secret group section are majors, and there are also some battalion and company-level officers who do things for them.

Hua Hongxing, at the age of 27, is already a capable soldier with the rank of captain and deputy company commander. With his outstanding performance in the army, he stood out from the outstanding soldiers and was successfully promoted. He graduated from the Shishi Army Command College, is a young and promising reserve cadre of the Second Guard Division.

At the beginning, Zheng Weiguo, the head of the secret group section, carefully selected a list of several outstanding staff members and handed it to Liu Zhiye.

After a careful browsing, Liu Zhiye fixed his eyes on Hua Hongxing, thinking that he was a rare unpolished gem worthy of cultivation.

…………

Liu Zhiye led Hua Honghongxing one after another and pushed the door into the meeting room.

As soon as I entered the room, I saw that the entire conference room was filled with smoke. If you didn’t know, you would think that everyone was practicing Taoism together!
He frowned and said, "Wow! Is it on fire?"

"Hurry up and open the window to get some fresh air. You guys are such idiots. Don't you feel choked?" My goodness, the whole room is full of smokers, puffing out smoke and thick smoke is billowing.

Zheng Chaoyang, director of the Political Department, held a cigarette between his lips and said nonchalantly, "Old Liu, look at how pretentious you are. You smoke a lot on a daily basis. It's so cold, aren't you asking for trouble by opening the window?"

"Come on, come on, it's better to share happiness with others than to enjoy it alone, you can have one too..." As he said this, he took out a cigarette and was about to put it into Liu Zhiye's mouth.

Liu Zhiye quickly waved his hands and said, "Okay..., I can do it myself..."

Just like that, Liu Zhiye, who was still speaking righteously just now, also joined the collective "cultivation of immortality".

“Hiss… huh…”

"Hey... Old Zheng, your cigarettes are good. The rest belong to me!" Liu Zhiye took a deep puff of the cigarette, his eyes lit up, and then he snatched the cigarettes in front of Zheng Chaoyang.

Zheng Chaoyang immediately became furious, "You bandit, at least leave me a few, there's only one box."

Liu Zhiye joked, "Old Zheng, I haven't seen you for a while. I find that you are getting more and more stingy. It's just a pack of cigarettes! Look how you are stingy... Tsk tsk..."

Zheng Chaoyang was furious when he heard this and said, "You Liu Zhiye, you are so ungrateful. Do you think it's easy for me to get a box of cigarettes like this? These are special cigarettes for the chief. I got them from Lao Luo. I usually don't want to smoke them, but you took away the whole pot..."

Liu Zhiye was choked by Zheng Chaoyang's barrage of words, and immediately begged for mercy: "Okay, I won't beat you for nothing. I'll treat you tonight. Come to my house and treat you well. Is that okay?"

Zheng Chaoyang then smiled and said, "You said that, didn't you? It just so happens that your sister-in-law has been too busy lately and hasn't been home. I was just worrying about where to get dinner, and you came to my door."

"Don't spend too much. I saw your old man raising some free-range chickens with herbs and insects. They're pretty good. Can you go back and kill one for me to eat?"

Liu Zhiye was so shameless that he laughed, "How dare you be so shameless? Those chickens were specially raised to lay eggs for your nephews and nieces to supplement their nutrition. Are you planning to use them now?"

Zheng Chaoyang heard this, and didn't get angry, but just laughed, "Hehe..." He knew that no matter what Liu Zhiye said, he was going to eat the chicken tonight.

The old man of the Liu family has been coveting the dozen or so chickens he raised for a long time.

These chickens are not ordinary local chickens. Their name is Beijing Oil Chicken, which is the best native chicken breed in the north.

The Beijing Oil Chicken breed has a history of more than 250 years, which is related to Beijing's status as the capital of the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. In particular, the demand of the princes and nobles of the Ming and Qing dynasties for high-quality poultry products was one of the important factors that led to the formation of Beijing's poultry breeds.

Beijing Oil Chicken is known as one of the best native chicken breeds in the north for its tender meat, large and abundant eggs with thick and solid eggshells, as well as its long history and cultural value.

The old man thought carefully and made careful preparations for his grandchildren. He devoted all his efforts to raising more than a dozen Beijing oil chickens. Not only did he strictly select the breeds of chickens, but he also used herbs and insects such as scorpions and centipedes to feed them ingeniously to ensure that the eggs were nutritious and of extraordinary value.

Zheng Chaoyang and the Liu family were close friends and he often visited Grandpa Liu. As a typical foodie, he had always been obsessed with the dozen chickens of the Liu family and he was salivating every time he mentioned them.

"Okay! I think these chickens will be doomed sooner or later, so I'll help you today!" Liu Zhiye said helplessly.

Zheng Chaoyang was delighted after hearing this, "That's right! I was just thinking about going to see my two godsons..." He quickly organized his thoughts and changed the subject.

After hearing this, Liu Zhiye rolled his eyes in disdain and said bluntly: "You don't care about your own son, and you pretend to care about your godson? I don't believe it!"

Zheng Chaoyang and Bai Ling are a strange couple. After forming a special task force to crack the "migratory bird" case, the couple abandoned their son Zheng Xiaohu in Liujiazhuang and left him there completely.

Now, two or three years have passed. Except for going home during the holidays, Zheng Xiaohu spends most of his time studying and living in the Liu family.

Zheng Chaoyang and his wife are very career-oriented and both work in key departments, so it is difficult for them to get away easily.

Deng Ru and his wife treated Xiaohu as their own child and showed him endless love and care. After overcoming the unfamiliarity of arriving here, Zheng Xiaohu quickly integrated into this family and now enjoys it as if this is his real home.

Perhaps, because he has gotten used to his parents' unreliability since childhood, Zheng Xiaohu appears to be exceptionally sensible. Although he is young, he is calm and reserved, which makes people look at him with admiration.

Liu Zhiye also liked this child very much, so he officially recognized him as his godson. Now Zheng Xiaohu's relationship with his godfather is deeper than that with his own father.

This made Zheng Chaoyang very jealous. He felt that he had suffered a great loss and kept thinking about how to turn the situation around.

Later, when Liu Zhiye had twins, Zheng Chaoyang saw the opportunity and shamelessly offered to be the godfather of the two children, saying bluntly: "My son recognizes you as his godfather, and your son must recognize me too. This is fair and reasonable!"

Liu Zhiye couldn't persuade him, so he had to agree.

From then on, Zheng Chaoyang often went to Liu's house to eat and drink for free under the pretext of visiting his godson, which made Liu Zhiye feel that he had met the wrong person.

Liu Wen and Liu Wu, the two brothers who are still in their infancy, do not yet know that from the moment they are born, they have formed an indissoluble bond with an unreliable godfather.

And that’s not all. There are many people who want to become relatives of Liu Zhiye’s family.

Not to mention that he had previously adopted Di Shazhu's son He Qiu as his godson, and Zheng Chaoyang's son Zheng Xiaohu, so far he has only adopted these two godparents.

If Liu Zhiye wanted to adopt a godson, there would be many people who would like to help him.

However, this godparent is not someone that can be recognized casually.

"Paying dry relatives" means recognizing a foster father and a foster mother, which is a kind of childcare custom popular throughout the country. In the north, it is called "recognizing a godfather and godmother"; in the south, it is called "recognizing a foster father and a foster mother", commonly known as "paying respect to the grandfather and the mother of the house".

Since they want to "worship godparents", they have to choose an auspicious day to hold the ceremony. At that time, parents not only have to prepare a sumptuous banquet, but also prepare gifts for their children to honor their godparents.

The most important gifts are the hat for the godfather and the shoes for the godmother, and other items such as clothing. Of course, the godfather and godmother are not just taking in and not giving out.

The gifts that the godfather and godmother must give to their godson and goddaughter must include a bowl, chopsticks and a longevity lock.

In the past, wealthy families would go to jewelry stores to order silver bowls and chopsticks for these gifts, or go to the lamas at Huguo Temple or Baita Temple to buy wooden bowls, so that children would not accidentally break them. If a bowl was broken, it was considered a very unlucky thing.

To be honest, the relationship between Liu Zhiye and Zheng Chaoyang has developed into this one; except for the fact that they are not related by blood, they are actually like family members, not blood brothers but better than brothers. Let's cut to the chase.

As the leaders and members of the division gradually arrived, today's meeting officially kicked off.

By the end of the year, the division's affairs were busy and tense, as if a silent battle was quietly going on.

The troops are usually very busy at the end of the year. In addition to daily work, there are three "big things" to do: year-end assessment, merit evaluation and award, and year-end summary.

Because this is the first Spring Festival for the Second Guard Division since its establishment. Previously, in the military competition, this young team won honors and received commendations from the entire army, attracting much attention.

So at today's meeting, Political Commissar Xie decisively proposed to hold a grand celebration meeting for the entire division at the end of the year. This proposal quickly received enthusiastic responses and unanimous approval from other members of the division's party committee.

During the meeting, everyone actively put forward ideas and worked together to make this celebration perfect, hoping to relax at the end of the year and relieve the recent tension.

In addition, some specific work arrangements and precautions have been arranged during the Chinese New Year period.

For example, according to the old tradition in the army, on New Year's Eve every year, many troops will arrange cadres to stand guard and perform duties at various outposts, leaving the time when officers and soldiers are most likely to feel homesick to the soldiers.

It can be said that cadres standing guard on New Year's Eve is a fine tradition passed down from generation to generation in the army.

The cadres on duty on guard duty use practical actions to shout "Follow me", which always moves the officers and soldiers with their sincerity.

Another thing is that the military camp is closed, and although we can't reunite with our families, during the Chinese New Year, in addition to daily training, there are also various entertainment activities.

Generally speaking, company commanders and platoon leaders can play and have fun with the soldiers, even if the activities are relatively boring.

For example, the troops often play the "old three things": basketball, football and volleyball. But the soldiers still enjoy playing them and have a high degree of participation.

And if at the end of the activity, the company commander can present some small prizes to the winning units and individuals on the spot, it will push the activity directly to a climax.

Other things, such as celebrations and making dumplings, require the participation of officers at all levels, and this participation must also go deep into the squads and platoons, and cannot just be a show. In fact, the soldiers are well aware of this.

…………

However, this has little to do with Liu Zhiye, whose current core work is to focus on military training and coordinated operations among various departments.

After the meeting, Liu Zhiye quickly stopped Zheng Chaoyang and briefly informed him: "I will go to the artillery regiment to inspect the training. If my return date is delayed, you should go back first."

"Oh, by the way, Xiaohu has grown up and likes to play with toy guns. I have already prepared some. I will ask Xiaohua to send them to you later. You can go and give the child a surprise."

Zheng Chaoyang was stunned when he heard this, and his eyes dimmed. He expressed his gratitude concisely and sincerely: "Zhiye, thank goodness you are here. If it weren't for you, Xiaohu's childhood would probably be... Thank you so much!"

Liu Zhiye pretended to be honest and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? Xiaohu is not only your son, he is also my godson. Do you need to thank him?"

Then, he patted Zheng Chaoyang's chest twice and said, "Let's go. My schedule is quite full today. I don't have time to chat with you here..."

Zheng Chaoyang watched Liu Zhiye walk away, his lips slightly raised, and he smiled silently. It is enough to have a bosom friend in life. In this troubled world, it is a blessing to have such a deep friendship.

----

The first company of the cannon battalion of the Guards Division Artillery Regiment is in training.

The whole company ran a 5-kilometer armed cross-country race outside the base. Then the company commander Song Shifa led the whole company to stand in the open field facing the wind.

The company commander Song Shifa shouted: "Beat them till they are defeated!" All the cadres and soldiers in the company shouted "Kill" together.

Then, Song Shifa shouted: "Down with SX", and all the cadres and soldiers in the company shouted "Kill" together.

Finally, Song Shifa shouted again: "Down with the FDP of all countries", and all the cadres and soldiers of the company shouted "Kill, kill, kill" three times in a row.

The artillery company's morning exercises have their own characteristics. Due to the limited space of the troop barracks, they carry their personal combat equipment (submachine guns or rifles, 50-70 rounds of bullets) and run 5 kilometers outside the barracks every morning for physical training.

And after the physical training, you have to shout a few more times.

Why do we need to train like this? Because the initial velocity of the cannon is very high, and its range is also the longest among all ground cannons.

When the artillery is fired, the sound is very loud and the dust is also very large. Therefore, the personnel at the artillery position are required to speak very loudly or even shout when giving the firing instructions and repeating the firing instructions.

In order to adapt to the environmental requirements of the artillery position, the soldiers used this method to train their voices every morning during drills.

Today is the live-fire test of the artillery regiment, and the artillery regiment’s shooting range is far away from the capital.

Liu Zhiye led a team to inspect the unit's live-fire training, and he and Regiment Commander Wang Jie personally went to the artillery position to inspect the work.

The live-fire shooting of the first company, first platoon, and first squad of the cannon battalion went very smoothly, and the first shot hit the target.

When it was the turn of the second squad of my first platoon to conduct live-fire shooting, Liu Zhiye discovered that it was an acquaintance standing at the aiming position, and immediately asked Company Commander Song to order the operation to stop.

Liu Zhiye walked up to the young soldier and said, "Comrade Xiao Li, we meet again. Are you sure you can hit the target in your first shot?" When Li Kangzhan saw that it was him, his heart beat wildly and he was so nervous that he could hardly speak.

Captain Song, who was standing nearby, quickly reported: "He has achieved good results in all kinds of training. His semi-automatic rifle and machine gun shooting accuracy is very high. Xiao Li will be fine today. You can rest assured, Commander!"

Liu Zhiye didn't say anything. He walked a few steps silently beside the artillery and suddenly asked Li Kangzhan: "How long have you been training as a gunner?"

Li Kangzhan stood at attention and replied: "Report to the commander! We have been training for 10 days."

Liu Zhiye called Company Commander Song aside to continue asking about Li Kangzhan's training situation, then left the artillery position and returned to the back of the position, signaling that the shelling should continue.

Then, Captain Song gave the order to prepare for shooting. After the live ammunition was loaded, Li Kangzhan set the shooting scale according to the operating procedures he had trained countless times. He operated the gun's direction and elevation control with both hands steadily, and accurately aimed at the black bull's eye of the 1000m x 2m white target 1.5 meters away.

After finishing the preparations, he loudly reported to Captain Song: "The second squad is ready for shooting."

As the triangular red flag held high by Captain Song fell and the order to fire was given, Li Kangzhan gently pressed the firing mechanism of the artillery. With a loud bang, the 85 cannon suddenly recoiled, and a huge cloud of dust was raised around the artillery.

About 5 seconds later, the muffled sound of an artillery shell exploding was heard from the distant hillside.

At this time, Li Kangzhan saw through the sight that there was no hole on the 2 X 1.5 meter white target caused by any shells, and he was stunned for a moment.

Company Commander Song Shifa did not find any hole in the target caused by the shell through the reconnaissance squad's artillery telescope. Liu Zhiye, who was behind the artillery position, did not find any trace of the shell passing through the target using a telescope.

Song Shifa quickly ordered the people who were setting up the targets in front to run to the targets immediately to check whether they had hit the target.

During the few minutes of waiting, the artillery position was completely silent. Suddenly, the radio walkie-talkie reported that the bullet had hit the 50 x 50 cm black bull's eye! Since the bull's eye was black, the artillery position could not see clearly.

Upon hearing the good news, Company Commander Song Shifa immediately reported it to Chief of Staff Liu Zhiye and Regiment Commander Wang.

Liu Zhiye walked over and said, "Good boy, good job! The deputy commander said that artillery training only takes one month. But your artillery regiment has achieved a good result of hitting the bull's eye in just 10 days of artillery training."

Then he asked Li Kangzhan, "Xiao Li, have you joined the party?"

Company instructor Yang Yang replied quickly, "Commander, we will discuss Comrade Xiao Li's application to join the party tomorrow."

Li Kangzhan's face turned red with excitement when he heard this. He was finally going to join the party.

(End of this chapter)