Chapter 800: Chapter 545: Many Officials, Few Soldiers
Fact has proven that entrusting the construction of the barracks to the Binjiang Reserve Group’s construction division was the correct decision.
The commander and Political Commissioner did not expect Linghai Development Zone to support the reserve service work to such a degree, providing not only the land but also the funds, and decided on the spot to upgrade the headquarters of the first company to the headquarters of the Linghai Reserve Camp!
Not all members of the regimental headquarters are active-duty officers; there’s also a squad of active-duty soldiers. After discussion, the regiment’s party committee decided to arrange for officers to take turns on guard duty at the main gate and watching over the warehouse so that the soldiers who originally guarded and watched over the warehouse could all participate in the construction of the camp in the Linghai Development Zone.
The infrastructure project with a total investment of 50,000 yuan was entirely under the responsibility of the Head of the Construction Division and First Battalion Commander Yang Jianbo.
In the construction process, every effort was made to save costs, such as not hiring external trucks for transporting construction materials, but using the two Jiefang trucks from the regiment instead, and all the physically demanding tasks like leveling the ground and unloading were done by the soldiers of the guard squad.
Previously, each prefecture-level city would establish one Reserve Division. Considering that the designated military regions did not have enough soldiers, last year the Provincial Military District scaled down several reserve infantry divisions into one reserve infantry division according to the superior’s instructions. The division commander also serves as the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Provincial Military District, and the Political Commissioner also serves as the deputy director of the Military District Political Department.
In other words, the current Binjiang Reserve Regiment used to be the Binjiang Reserve Division.
While the unit level has changed from a regular division to a regular regiment, the previous assets are still there.
The commander, Political Commissioner, and Chief of Staff specifically visited the warehouse and requested to make full use of everything usable. After the construction of the Linghai Reserve Camp is completed, they planned to transfer all usable items from the warehouse.
After all, the funds are very limited, and there’s a lack of strong support from the local party committee and government, so building several fully equipped reserve camps is extremely difficult.
Now with the support of Linghai Development Zone, rather than being overambitious and ending up accomplishing nothing as before, it’s better to invest all the limited resources in the Linghai Development Zone and first build a "model company"!
The leaders of the reserve regiment take this matter very seriously. Deputy Mayor Shen asks about progress every few days, Vice Mayor Qin also calls to inquire about troop allocations, and even Sister Zhu is very concerned. Han Yu is really under a lot of pressure.
It’s easy to handle reserve officers; just form a company, how many officers can be needed in total?
Moreover, most military officers will demobilize and return to their hometowns, mostly being placed in government and public institutions.
Several are in Sanhe Street, and the Development Zone Police Station also has some.
For example, Xie Xingbao, who was transferred to the Development Zone Branch last year, was formerly an officer in the firefighting troops. Then there’s Hu Genhua from the Linghai Port Supervision Department, who was originally an Army battalion commander.
Since it’s about the construction of national defense reserve forces and there’s legal support, there’s no need for much ideological work. As long as they are military transfer officials working in the development zone, they can be directly conscripted into the reserve forces.
If someone conscripted refuses to serve in the reserve, that’s a violation of the law!
If any unit’s leadership does not support this, it indicates that there’s a problem with their mindset, and one can confidently go to their superiors.
The current problem is where to find reserve soldiers!
Previously, in the three townships of the development zone, on average, thirty to forty young people would join the military each year.
But Linghai has such a strong foundation in basic education that out of every ten young men who join the military, at least four would get into military academies in the army, another two would switch to become professional soldiers, now called sergeants, leaving only about four to five returning.
Military transfer officials are arranged for jobs, but demobilized soldiers, especially those from rural areas, are not.
They can’t possibly stay at home and farm; some go into business, some find other work, and very few stay in Linghai.
Although according to the law, as long as there is a reserve force locally and they have been conscripted, they must serve in the reserve, Vice Mayor Qin, Deputy Mayor Shen, and the leadership of the reserve regiment made it clear: if you form a unit, it must be a "fist company" capable of rapid mobilization and effective operation!
Most of them are out of town; can you expect them to come back just because you ask them to?
Even if they are willing to come back, who will reimburse their travel expenses? And it takes time to return.
Han Yu, based on the information provided by the Civil Affairs Bureau and the Sanhe Street Military Department, contacted those that could be reached by phone, and for those without a phone, went to the villages to look for them.
He ran around for four days and only found twenty-seven demobilized soldiers that met the criteria.
Considering that they all work in private-owned factories, he also went to speak with their bosses. He appealed to their emotions and reason, letting the bosses know that serving in the reserve is mandated by law. Enterprises must support it; they have to continue paying salaries to employees who attend training or execute tasks.
The goal was to ensure that their participation in training did not result in the loss of their livelihood.
After a busy day, when he returned to the city to see his daughter, Master Han asked curiously, "San’er, how many soldiers have you recruited?"
"Dad, that’s a military secret. You can’t ask about it, and I can’t tell you."
"The reserve forces aren’t really military, and there’s no military secret. Besides, I was an officer just like you. You’re just a Reserve Major, but I was a Major before I was demobilized!"
Master Han smiled smugly, then pointed to his wife, who was busy in the kitchen, "Your mom’s rank was the same as yours when she was demobilized, a Major, but she was from the Regular Army."
Han Xiangning, holding Han Han, chuckled and said, "San’er, you’re pretending to be a big shot in front of your father, have you forgotten what our parents used to do?"
Both father-in-law and mother-in-law were military transfer officials, and although they were technical officers in the army, they were officers nonetheless.
Han Yu realized he had no standing to show off in front of his father-in-law and said with a wry smile, "There are many demobilized soldiers in our development zone, but not many are at home. And everyone has their own business to attend to. Although they are all willing to serve in the reserve, it’s impossible for them to come for training with just one phone call."
